Open Source in Higher Education: a Situational Analysis of the Open Journal Systems Software Project
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OPEN SOURCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE OPEN JOURNAL SYSTEMS SOFTWARE PROJECT by Mia Quint-Rapoport A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Mia Quint-Rapoport 2010 OPEN SOURCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE OPEN JOURNAL SYSTEMS SOFTWARE PROJECT Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Mia Quint-Rapoport Graduate Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education University of Toronto Abstract This research study looks at digital academic space, which is defined here as web-based digitally mediated artifacts produced by universities and their members. Open source software projects and the Open Access movement play large roles within digital academic space, not only because of their strong historical academic roots, but also because these projects are growing in prevalence in many universities. Framed by theories from the field of higher education and media studies, this research study is an analysis of the dynamics and effects of one open source software project that produces Open Access electronic journals. The software system, called the Open Journal Systems (OJS), originally developed by an education professor from a Canadian university, has been adopted by thousands of universities world- wide to publish electronic peer reviewed academic journals. OJS users distributed at universities throughout the world have contributed software code back to the system, by for example, creating translation modules enabling users to publish journals in a range of languages thus adding an interesting global dimension to the project. Based on interviews with the OJS software developers, administrators, and users, as well as a range of material culled from online, this situational analysis of the OJS sketches out the conditions, dynamics, discourses and professional identities that form the basis of an emerging phenomenon within universities that is named here the digitally mediated open research project (DMORP). ii Acknowledgments This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Sylvia and Teddy Quint who have always been incredibly supportive of all of my educational pursuits. Mom and Dad, from you I have learned, among other things, how to think meaningfully and how to say the things that I think and feel. Without these traits I would never have been able to pursue my doctorate. Thank you. This thesis represents the culmination of many hours of thinking and reflection, and a few hours of hard work. In many ways it is one of my greatest accomplishments. It does however stand alongside two other accomplishments of great importance to me: my two daughters Lilah Jean Rapoport and Chloe Quint Rapoport, both of whom were born while I wrote this thesis. How difficult it was to sit at my computer some days when all I wanted to do was play with you, dance with you, read to you and laugh with you! At the same time, you both provided me with such inspiration – you worked so hard at growing, learning to use your muscles to walk and clap, learning to form words to sing and talk. I love you both so much, and am so fiercely proud of everything you do. You are young now but one day I hope you will be proud of me too one day. I am completely indebted to my husband, partner and best friend, Adam Rapoport, the hardest working of doctors, who always found the time to read my work, go over my presentations and listen to my ideas. Adam, I would never have been able to do this without you; you (dutifully) read every single word of my thesis (dutifully stating that it was not out of duty but out of interest). I am the luckiest woman on the planet. You have given me everything I have always wanted in life, our children and a life-long partner with whom I could be myself while continuing to learn, grow and reflect on life. I love you. A big thank you goes to Professor John Willinsky, a dedicated and visionary scholar, thinker, and a rockin‘ musician. I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Glen Jones, who encouraged me along the thesis path, as well as my committee members Megan Boler and Jamie-Lynn Magnusson for teaching me how to think critically about my subject. Thanks go to as well to Avi Hyman and Michael Peters whose insights about my thesis have been precious and invaluable. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1: Exploring the Frontiers of Digital Academic Space ......................................................1 1.1 Towards a definition of ‗digital academic space‘ ................................................................2 1.1.1 Foundations of digital academic space: Open source software and Open access movements ...............................................................................................................4 1.1.2 Open academic publishing via the Open Journal System (OJS) ..............................8 1.2 From ivory tower to the babbling bazaar: Sophisticated discourses of open source software ..............................................................................................................................14 1.2.1 ―Raymondism‖ .......................................................................................................14 1.2.2 Free as in Libre: ‗Stallmanism‘..............................................................................16 1.2.3 Academic open source software projects ...............................................................18 1.3 Using ‗situational analysis‘ to theorize digital academic space .........................................21 1.3.1 The structure of this analysis .................................................................................22 1.3.2 Three narratives of digital academic space ............................................................23 1.4 Towards a new ideal-type in the academic environment ...................................................24 1.4.1 Outlining the conditions of Digitally Mediated Open Research Projects (DMORP) ...............................................................................................................24 1.5 Characteristics of Digitally Mediated Open Research Projects .........................................25 Chapter 2: Liquid Networks: The Literature of Open Culture, Open Source Software and the Open Access Movement ...........................................................................................................29 2.1 Is a participatory commons reliant on free labour? The literature of free and open culture ................................................................................................................................30 2.1.1 Open but hierarchical: Examining the character of networked collaboration .......34 2.1.2 Free cooperation, dense networks ..........................................................................36 iv 2.1.3 From open culture to open source software: Scholarly research about the open source software movement ....................................................................................38 2.1.4 Open source software defined ................................................................................39 2.2 Early research on open source software .............................................................................40 2.1.2 Empirical research on open source software: From political economy to ethnography to the ‗fetishization‘ of code ............................................................42 2.2.2 Open source software as a revolutionary socio-cultural phenomenon ..................48 2.2.3 The Intersection of open source software and universities ....................................51 2.3 The literature about the Open Access movement ..............................................................55 2.3.1 Benefits to ―developing‖ countries ........................................................................56 2.3.2 Information doubt: Skepticism regarding the benefits of Open Access for ‗development‘ ........................................................................................................57 2.3.3 Open Access advocacy in science, technology and medicine ...............................58 2.3.4 Open Access or knowledge hegemony: Thinking critically about Open Access benefits ...................................................................................................................59 2.4 Bits and bytes of free and open culture: Concluding remarks regarding the literature of open culture, open source and Open Access ................................................................60 Chapter 3: From the Condition of Publicity to Academic Capitalism: The Literature of Contemporary Higher Education ..............................................................................................63 3.1 Change as a defining feature of contemporary higher education ......................................64 3.1.1 Mode 1 versus Mode 2 research ............................................................................66 3.1.2 ICTs in higher education ........................................................................................68 3.1.3