[Osdc-edu-authors] ARTICLE READY: Points of difference: a comparison table between the education and open source worlds

[Mel Chua]

Picking up on 
https://www.redhat.com/archives/osdc-edu-authors/2011-March/msg00049.html and 
finishing it. I am a content machine today! Again, please don't block on 
me for editing, title changes, and/or image-picking (though I imagine 
that a colored diff screenshot similar to 
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition&action=historysubmit&diff=417946966&oldid=367851662 
might work well). A little bit of styling for the table (adding a border 
and possibly some color-coding) may be helpful as well.

I think I'm done writing for the day, but you never know. :)

--Mel

----

Points of difference: a comparison table between the education and open 
source worlds

----

I've been traveling between universities and academic conferences and 
open source gatherings and hackfests for work for quite some time now. A 
year ago, I started compiling a list of <a 
href="http://darkmattermatters.com/2009/06/08/brand-positioning-tip-1-points-of-parity-and-points-of-difference/">points 
of parity and points of difference</a> between the two cultures. Here's 
what I've got so far for <em>points of difference</a>:

<table>
<tr>
	<td><strong>Arena</strong></td>
	<td><strong>Academia</strong></td>
	<td><strong>Open source</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>Planning</strong></td>

<td>There is a plan, and it will be followed. Find out what it is and 
adhere strictly to it.</td> <td>There may not be a plan, and if there 
is, it'll probably be deviated from. Step up and step in.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>If you miss the plan...</strong></td>

<td>Whoops. Too bad. Wait for the next time around, and prepare better 
for next time.</td> <td>Hop in anyay - you'll change the plan to 
accommodate you by slipping in.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>On seeking external approval</strong></td>

<td>It takes one no to lose it all. Avoid hearing a 'no' at all costs... 
even if that means you don't tell people what you're doing.</td> <td>It 
takes one yes to win it all. Keep asking until you get a yes - it 
doesn't matter how many no's you get along the way.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>How newcomers learn</strong></td>

<td>Scaffolded plan-following. We create learning experiences that can 
be used by as many people as possible.</td> <td>Improvisational 
apprenticeships. Every learning experience is a custom made one-off.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>Dealing with uncertainty</strong></td>

<td>Minimize uncertainty - how else are you going to manage everybody 
following the same plan?</td> <td>Be productively lost - uncertainty 
spurs innovation by allowing individuals to take advantage of rapidly 
shifting opportunities.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>Analogies for personal development</strong></td>

<td>"Climb the ladder" to success - a set series of reasonably 
efficient, stable, tested stages to a known destination.</td> <td>A 
grappling hook you can throw around to scale most vertical surfaces in 
whatever environment you're thrown into.</td>

</tr>
<tr>
	<td><strong>Proving oneself</strong></td>

<td>Once you pass the judgement of a gatekeeping body, you can use your 
credentials as a pass-card to access many things without needing further 
review.</td> <td>Continually defend your skills to everyone you come 
across through showing off your actual work; the approval of one body 
may not count for another.</td>

</tr>
</table>

This list has helped me unblock multiple conversations between people in 
academia (students, faculty) and those in open source environments by 
helping each group articulate its fundamental assumptions to the other. 
I know full well this list is incomplete and likely to contain 
inaccuracies, and would love feedback on it - what do you think of the 
table? What else would you add? If you're not in education, how would 
your discipline (law, business, medicine, filmmaking, food production, 
etc) look like as a third column?