Meta University
Meta University(MU), is an abstract specification of actual universities[1]. This specification is intended to be applicable to all learning organizations universally. It is an ideologically neutral device that states the essence about universal properties, in other words, knowledge content that are generally applicable to all spaces and times in their application contexts.
Context
Due to the ongoing advancements and dissemination in data processing technologies, the process of knowledge presentation and human skill acquisition have been significantly impacted by them. Since that many people already have access to mobile personal computing devices, and highly configurable human interfaces such as browsers on smart phones are becoming performant enough for complex tasks to be done on site. It only recently become possible to start talking about a data centric curriculum that orient people's attention from being used by their personal computing devices, to start learning about the working principles of these computing devices, while having sufficient contextualized usage of these devices. In other words, Meta University will ground its curriculum based on Logic, that integrates both human-intuition and machine-accelerated data processing as a central part of knowledge acquisition process for the general public.
Goal Statement
The explicit goal of MU is to provide a universal, yet extensible knowledge representation, retainment, and revisioning mechanism without loss of universality.
This requirement mandates the generalized knowledge container to have an extremely simple structure, as simple as a causally related data representation, called function, or directed relation. In other words, the goal of MU is to organize all content knowledge using an abstract model that represent knowledge as a generic function that could be composed of other functions recursively.
Implementation Strategy
To make this happen, we decide to leverage the Web Tech Stack as an operational platform and leverage the resources and tools in this open ended platform to govern the evolutionary trends of MU. MU has three explicit functions:
- MU is an data container for Learning Activities, it captures physical activities in concrete data elements for the organization.
- The Data Content of MU is governed by the participants of these learning activities, implemented as smart contracts authorized by the said participants.
- MU invites verification and validation, through namespace management, time stamping and data linkages, MU associates physical meaning to data by encoding content knowledge based on the observable patterns of the physical universe.
The goal statement mentioned above also indicates that MU will provide a curriculum that enables minimal footprint to the core content knowledge, while covering the broadest possible content areas. In other words, MU's existence can be thought of as the core/kernel of an operating system of knowledge acquisition in this data-intensive era, and it will help organize learning activities in a structure that best adhere to this fast changing world. Specifically, MU will offer a curriculum structure that follows the above assumptions, and try to link all knowledge content using a unifying data management strategy.
Individuals and their Societies
Knowing that all content knowledge cannot exist in isolation. MU is intended to be a social learning tool that allows individuals to maintain one's private content, while maximize its ease of exchange with other interacting parties. Therefore, MU will explicitly spell out project management tools and practices for both individuals and team members, and offer data governing policies for all participants. The logic of how data evolve, is the foundation of computing science, and that is where all projects on MU-supported projects will leverage its project management/governance features. This requires users to be highly aware of data security and data privacy related issues.
In layman's term, MU will organize content knowledge in the units of languages, starting with the foundation of all languages, the meta language, or the logic of data in general. Then, MU will introduce domain-specific languages, including linkages to natural languages as ways to demonstrate the power of information compression in languages. Therefore, MU participants can continuously leverage a single repository of languages, to organize their own knowledge content in privately controlled data storage containers.
A Universal Container
The first principle of MU is to assume that certain universal principle exists. The principle that we will introduce to all MU students is the notion that all data can be represented using the same type, a type called: "Lattice" or bounded "Partially ordered set"(POSet). This universal data type can be mapped onto human's daily experience in terms of space, time, and energy. The reason that we must introduce this common notion of data structure is to offer a universal data framework that will be applicable to situations across all spatial and temporal contexts. To guarantee this universality, some logical assumptions must be made, and we assume that all spacetime complex follows the logical boundaries of POSet.
Foundational References
MU differs from other universities by starting its curriculum in a sequence that is almost opposite of what most popular curriculum are designed. This is suggested by Gregory Chaitin, that many accomplished mathematicians are taught the most advanced mathematics from a young age and in a sequence that delights their interest to pursue mathematical content. When properly administered, this strategy may apply to learn and teach content knowledge of many kind. For example, we will provide a universal data structure[2], a.k.a. lattice[3][4], to approximate the boundary of our logical reasoning scopes.
Prior work
A Google Document on Meta University that lead to this document is available[5].
MetaUniversity
Programs in MU will be organized in languages, as in managing vocabulary, syntactical rules, and pragmatic uses. This classification will enable a unifying framework and data analytics tools for learning outcome assessments as well as enabling the compositional opportunities of knowledge content.
The Notion of Unviersality
Universality is a operationalized definition according to logicians.
A Generalized Process for Knowledge Acquisition
A university is an agency that embodies collective Intelligence. The process model for such intelligence can be modeled after ideas originated in Carl Jung and Thomas Kuhn's theories.
Containers for all Knowledge
Using Wikidata as an example.
- Leverage Existing Data and Learning Assets on the Internet
- Capture visitation data for all these assets
- Provide annotation and create new content
- Publish it using PKC
Conceptual Space and Repeatability
As I talking with 郭逸舟， he mentioned Gutenburg can make more impact was due to the size of alphabet in European languages are smaller than Chinese. So that he was able to leverage his work to create Renaisance.
Functional Roles in Society
The initial vocabulary of Roles in MU will be based on two camps of knowledge, Holacracy's roles and Ansible's roles.
Data as the Medium
Core Curriculum:Reliable Data as the Medium
Data identity is given measurable degrees of trust worthiness based on timestamps and namespace references.
According to Prof. Gautam Dasgupta, this curriculum will be organized in various methods of counting:
- Arithemtic:Counting in Numbers
- Geometry:Counting in Space
- Music:Counting in Time
- Astronomy and Geography:Counting in Spacetime
Domain Specialties: Disciplinary Specific Data
Smart Contracts to operationalize accountability
All students in Meta University must use Smart Contracts to organize their shared tasks.
All learning activities will be accounted for
Learning activities will be registered using common databases. Detail actions for each participants will be tracked by Matomo.
Visualizing Projects in Timeline
| Start datetime | End datetime | |
|---|---|---|
| A new form | 6 December 2021 10:04:56 | 7 December 2021 10:04:56 |
| Another contextualized event | 29 November 2021 10:05:39 | 8 December 2021 10:05:39 |
| Event:Conference/2021,07,15 | 15 July 2021 07:50:08 | 18 July 2021 07:50:08 |
| Event:Meeting/2021,07,15 | 15 July 2021 08:00:00 | 15 July 2021 09:00:00 |
| Event:Project/Clean up dev.xlp.pub | 16 July 2021 09:00:13 | 18 July 2021 08:00:13 |
| Event:Project/EnterpriseForTheFuture/Stage 1 | 1 September 2021 00:00:01 | 30 November 2021 23:59:59 |
| Event:Project/EnterpriseForTheFuture/Stage 2 | 1 January 2022 00:00:01 | 31 August 2022 23:59:59 |
| Event:Project/HDX/2021,07,15 | 15 July 2021 12:30:00 | 15 July 2021 14:00:00 |
| Meeting with Prof. Surya | 30 January 2022 06:47:08 | 8 April 2022 06:47:08 |
| PKC Workflow/Stage 1 | 16 July 2021 08:00:00 | 16 July 2021 09:00:00 |
An Exchange Platform
There are some existing literature[6] that already covers content related to this proposition. Financial and labor market places will be set up to enable exchanges. Ideally, some form of financial rewards should be directly written into smart contracts for people who are competent to conduct their work professionally.
Organizational Sustainability
Branching and Exiting
Since all types of organizations must evolve and change over time, mention Thomas Kuhn and his book[7].
Merging and Joining
All organizations evolves in a similar way, mention Kuhn's Cycle and his book[7].
Data is the Asset
Namespaces: Data Dictionary
Time:the symmetry-breaker
Conclusion
Toward the Science of Self-Governance
References
Related Pages
- ↑ Newman, John (1986). The Idea of a University (University of Notre Dame Press edition 1982 ed.). local page: University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 0-268-01150-8.
- ↑ Scott, Dana (January 1, 1970). "Outline of a Mathematical Theory of Computation". local page: Oxford University Computing Laboratory Programming Research Group.
- ↑ Cousot, Patrick; Cousot, Radhia (1977). Abstract interpretation: a unified lattice model for static analysis of programs by construction or approximation of fixpoints (PDF). 4th POPL. local page: ACM Press. p. 238-252.
- ↑ Cousot, Patrick (Sep 2021). Principles of Abstract Interpretation. local page: ACM Press.
- ↑ If you have editorial access to the Meta University Google document, click here
- ↑ Crawley, Edward; Hegarty, John; Edström, Kristina; Sanchez, Juan Cristobal Garcia (2020). Universities as Engines of Economic Development. local page: Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-47549-9.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kuhn, Thomas (2012). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (50th Anniversary ed.). local page: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-45811-3.