Introduction to Collaborative Science

In the following we deal with collaborations in academia – how the trend towards participation as well as the accelerating digital transformation has affected collaborative practices within but also beyond the sciences.

Collaboration is currently highly valued not only as a mode of knowledge production, but also as an instrument for achieving academic excellence. Also, it is argued that societal problems demand more inter- and transdisciplinary research.

Yet, current research shows that collaborations in knowledge production are difficult. Against that backdrop the second half of the week critically deals with challenges in scholarly collaboration. Digital infrastructures are envisioned as one building block that allows to deal with problems in collaborative practice. What digital tools do exist and in which ways do they support collaborative practices in and beyond academia?

Learning Goals

Upon completion of this lecture, you will be able to:

• understand what characterizes collaboration in academia
• describe what the current challenges in collaboration practice are
• understand in what ways digital transformation affects collaboration
• understand how digital tools are used in collaborations within but also across the sciences

In order to achieve these goals, the module “Collaboration practices” provides the following resources:

• An introductory video providing an overview of what are the challenges and visions for scholarly collaboration in the digital age
• A video elaborating in more detail on how digital tools are used and how they support scholarly knowledge production.
• An accompanying text for linking the two sets of papers.
• Additional learning resources: multiple choice questions and recommendations for further reading.

The slides for the videos by Clemens Blümel on collaborative science can be found in the download section.