With support, the OSN workshops will convene following the panel discussion at the 2008 NCIIA National Conference, March 20-22, by Joshua Pearce (Clarion), Tom Colledge (Pennsylvania State), Lonny Grafman (Humboldt State), and Ryan Legg (Cornell). The panel discussion will provide background on the online collaborative space and introduce the specific workshops to follow. The panel abstract is shown in Appendix 1. The presentation will set the stage for the workshops by engaging the panelists and attendees in discussion of current online tools and the opportunities for further collaboration between relevant individuals, programs, courses, projects, and organizations aimed at sustainable development and social entrepreneurship. In particular, this presentation provides the opportunity to:

• Identify existing initiatives including their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in each of the identified areas.
• Share a gap analysis and opportunities for communication, cooperation and collaboration between existing programs.
• Identify a broader network of faculty and practitioners with a willingness to collaborate.
• Enlist support of additional parties to attend targeted workshops, build collaborative network tools, and scale up impact.

Following this initial overview panel presentation, the workshops will build on this knowledge and feedback gained during the panel discussion to target specific needs of the community around the previously identified areas of Open Education, Collaborative Taxonomies, and Online Publication. At each targeted workshop, a select group of experienced leaders in the field will be identified to host and frame the discussion for other participants. Desired workshop topics, potential goals, and hosts are shown below.

Click on the workshop title to view a description of the potential hosts, gap analysis and opportunities in the area:

Workshop - Open Education

Target Date: April 2008

Goal: Develop a framework for online course hosting at the Open Sustainability Network.

Potential Hosts: OpenWetWare, Appropedia, Open Educational Resources, Connexions, Beyond Gray Pinstripes, BMESource, Enabling Innovations, and the Center for Sustainable Engineering.

Workshop - Collaborative Taxonomies

Target Date: June 2008

Goal: Develop a meta-system of taxonomies to classify and share technologies, implementation efforts, projects, educational resources, impacts and community information.

Potential Hosts: The University Network, the Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development, Open Architecture Network, Appropedia, World Bank Development Marketplace, Enabling Innovations, the HoneyBee Network, ECHO, Engineers Without Borders, and Engineers for a Sustainable World.

Workshop - Online Publication

Target Date: August 2008

Goal: Define and share best practices in online publication and dissemination.

Potential Hosts: The International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering, Appropedia, BoPNetwork, NextBillion.net, Treehugger.com, and the Forum on Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development.