Premium
The WikiID: An Alternative Approach to the Body of Knowledge
Author(s) -
Mendoza Hannah Rose
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of interior design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.229
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1939-1668
pISSN - 1071-7641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-1668.2008.01016.x
Subject(s) - body of knowledge , knowledge management , the internet , process (computing) , value (mathematics) , epistemology , computer science , world wide web , sociology , philosophy , machine learning , operating system
A discussion of the locus of design knowledge is currently underway as well as a search for clear boundaries defined by a formal Body of Knowledge (BoK). Most attempts to define a BoK involve the creation of “jurisdictional boundaries of knowledge” that “allow those who possess this knowledge to claim authority over its application” (Guerin & Thompson, 2004, p. 1). This claim is attractive but such control may no longer be an option in the Internet Age, when even the call for the discussion of the BoK definition process is on the Web. Marshall‐Baker (2005) argued that “the moment knowledge is bordered it is no longer knowledge” (p. xiv). Whereas data and information are easily captured and generalized, knowledge is specific to users and their evolving understandings, implying purposeful application over time. This paper explores knowledge as process transcending boundaries and seeks to answer not “where” the locus lies but rather “what” that locus could be. Using a feminist framework, I argue that in conjunction with the work done thus far we should move toward the creation of an inclusive model for the BoK. In such a model, the value of the profession is felt as a result of inclusion in and interaction with the knowledge creation process. I propose that the BoK should not be a printed document, but a Web‐based organizational system that supports change and innovation. Wikipedia provides this type of inclusive, mutable system, and the same framework could be applied to the creation of a systemic BoK. I call this creation the WikiID.