Web Science Research Initiative

Having recovered from my first semester teaching Web Science at Boston University, I am eagerly planning an even better go-round this spring. Here are three (as always) important new ingredients to the course:

1. Introduction to network mathematics. Definitions of everything you need to know to get your hands dirty with network algorithms--still in rough draft form--compiled and edited from excellent reference material in Wikipedia and PlanetMath.
2. Moodle. This course management system is a professor's best friend. Thanks Prof. Brian Linard for telling me about it. Also thanks to Prof. Jerry Kane for telling me how he used a wiki to promote his students from passive learners into active course designers and graders--something I intend to do as well on my Moodle site.
3. Web Science Research Initiative. Announced in the Nov 2, 2006 NY Times as a joint initiative of MIT and the University of Southampton, WSRI includes this compelling vision of "web science." My favorite section is "Web Sociology" which surveys state-of-the-art research in Communities of interest, Information structures and social structures, Significance and its metrics, Trust and reputation, and Web morality. The bibliography is priceless.
   

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