Connexions: An alternative approach to publishing

Abstract

Web technologies offer new methods for quickly sharing and disseminating knowledge. Digital libraries of scholarly assets are proliferating online, with materials being openly licensed and shared. Sharing knowledge provides learners, instructors and researchers with access to the most recent findings, encouraging more rapid breakthroughs that lead to positive impacts to society. These new publication processes pose challenges to traditional publishers by redefining methods for providing quality information in a timely manner. The Connexions project at Rice University is a collaborative, community-driven approach to authoring, teaching, and learning. By collaborating both within and across disciplines, communities of authors work together to pool their expertise in the form of knowledge modules. These modules form the basis for building courses that are authored by many, with each author receiving attribution for his or her contributions. Information can be modified under an open license to tailor the material for the audiences of learners. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.