Template

The myMetaversity section of the website uses blogging software to make it easy for users to create a myMetaversity instance or “map” of their extra-university learning space. This pages provides a number of section headings that may be helpful in generating a myMetaversity entry as well as specific directions about how to manage your post. There are also a few things that a myMetaversity entry is not — please keep them in mind.

Directions

The Metaversity Project uses WordPress, a blogging software package, in order to allow contributions from anyone who is interested in this topic. You can contribute a myMetaversity entry or comment on most of the pages.

• Create an account
• Create a myMetaversity entry using the suggested topics below
  • Log in
  • Go to Write > Post
  • Use text editor to create entry (or paste from word processing software)
  • Set “Publish Status” to Published
  • Press “Save” button
• If you need more help creating an entry, WordPress has more detailed instructions
• Use and create categories to help others find instances of the Metaversity that may be helpful
• You can allow or disallow comments on your myMetaversity entry

Suggested Headings

Using some of these headings may help you to reflect on your experiences as a scholar who works in an extra-university learning space. The headings are entirely optional – you may elect to use them or not, create new ones, and suggest new ones (using the comments section below).

Description of Problem Space

Instances of the Metaversity are highly personal, typically driven by interests that are at the edge of several disciplines. Often, this in response to a specific problem that is not well addressed in a single academic department, requiring the scholar to bring a new set of resources to bear on the problem. For some, the “problem” that needs to be solved by is clear from early on in the endeavor (be that endeavor a particular research problem or an entire course of graduate study). For others it is a gradual process that culminates in the realization that an innovative set of resources have been assembled.

Resources

A list of the resources and experiences you assembled. This may be as detailed or as brief as you like. For example:

• People

• Labs

• Agencies

• Businesses

• Conferences

Tools

For example, specialized instruments, software (not your basic stats package), or technologies that you have used. Again, the emphasis should be on tools that occupy an interdiscipinary or transdisiplinary role in your research or scholarship.

Difficulties Encountered

For example:

• Philosophical / Methodological Problems

• Advising

• Social Isolation

Lessons Learned

• Ways of Assessing Transdisciplinary Research Quality

• Ways of avoiding problems

• Books / articles you have found helpful

Abbreviated Publication List

If you have published or presented on research or other scholarly activity that is interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary in nature, please include some citations to these works. This should not be an entire CV, but a select few items that may be of interest to others reading your myMetaversity entry.

Using Categories

When you create your myMetaversity entry, PLEASE USE CATEGORIES to describe the area of research or scholarship your work falls under. Please do the following:

1. Search for a categories of work that are similar to the transdiscipline you occupy. If you find one that is close to what you do, please use the existing category
2. IF no category already exists that describes your transdiscipline, please create a new one. The category should be NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
3. In addition, please mark your entry with the primary discipline categories that it falls under

For example, if the new transdiscipline is “Forensic Microbiology,” and no one had entered this as a category already, you would create that category and also mark your entry with the “Forensics” and “Microbiology” categories.

Precautions

Be careful about what you post here. This website is open to the public and some of the areas we suggest for discussion may be sensitive. For example, discussing difficulties you had working with a particular laboratory at another University may be seen as unprofessional or inappropriate by others you work with. While we encourage an open dialogue about the strengths and weaknesses of transdiciplinary scholarship, please refrain from saying things that might damage your own career.

What myMetaversity Is and Isn’t

Entries in myMetaversity are designed to be a discussion about ideas not individuals. The myMetaversity Project is not a social networking site — even though we hope that it does adress some of the social isolation that can occur in transdiciplinary research. While each entry represents a highly personal academic journey, the goal of this project is to create “maps” of the transdisciplinary space and to discuss the advantages and problems of this type of research or scholarly activity. A myMetaveristy entry should not be an “ego trip” or simple self promotion — for example, please do not post your entire CV.