SoCS: OKES: An Open Knowledge Exchange System to Promote Meta-Disciplinary Collaboration Based on Socio-Technical Principles

New paradigms for socio-technical knowledge exchange, especially within and across academic disciplines, is important in order to generate insights about how new knowledge is (and can be) created. Academic researchers regularly use Web-based tools such as wikis, blogs, electronic repositories and open publishing systems to promote the open exchange of knowledge, but with varied levels of success. This work creates an open knowledge exchange system that is based on socio-technical principles, one conducive to collaborative research and the generation of new knowledge. This work will facilitate an egalitarian review process, provide support for micro-contributions as well as full-length reviews of working papers, and allow for immediate feedback on the relevance and utility of contributions. The work begins with a conceptual design and develops a socio-technical system comprised of existing tools as the basis for a KES openly accessible and available to all. It will gather data for future analysis of user behaviors and outcomes to assess the relevance, adequacy and performance of the system?s functional elements. Intellectual Merit: This work will identify new knowledge about the participants, interactions, and contributions required for a successful, community-mediated system of open academic exchange. Broader Impact: OKES will provide a research-driven blueprint for launching and operating an open, academic knowledge exchange, which promises to enrich the academic research climate for many fields. It will help students and practitioners in industry more actively engage in knowledge generation, and produce a rich research dataset to support follow-on studies.