Nymspace

Nymspace (formerly known as Threads) is a Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) tool developed to provide a pseudonymous, forum-like experience for groups to come together for meaningful discussions. Any participant can initiate or respond to a message in Nymspace. In order to bolster a sense of openness, inclusion, and truthful dialogue, users receive a unique and anonymous identifier, which remains theirs for the duration of the thread. They can then reference other participants, enjoy a direct line of communication in each discussion, and still maintain a level of anonymity.

Nymspace aims to intensify the engagement for more focused and robust conversations, and invigorate an experience in which all feel responsible for the common discourse space. Similar to the usefulness of the Chatham House Rule, anonymity in Nymspace can reduce anxieties about peer acceptance and perceptions within groups. Participants can be assured that others are more likely to judge ideas based on their substance, versus the indicators present in the environments which can lead to implicit or explicit biases.

The sooner we connect, the sooner we can define goals, reach them, construct bridges, cross them, discuss the issues that call on us, and make our mark.

Modes

• Goal Setting

  • Staffs, Teams, Workshops

• Decision Making

  • Selection Committees and Boards

• Purposeful and Fun Discussions

  • Students and Classrooms

Research Questions

1. Can Nymspace present an opportunity for more inclusive voices and ideas to be shared?

2. How can anonymity improve upon or impact the quality and experience of a group discussion?

3. How might we build or architect a space that contributes to a sense of openness and belonging amongst members of a group?

4. How can connecting in online discourse space help a group to problem solve, establish commonalities, overcome differences, and build trust?

User Feedback

“This tool provides a great interface for people to make their voice heard. It's a platform where nothing about you but your ideas matter. This is the power of anonymity <3”

“There is greater distribution of contribution and sense of freedom in discussion when typed anonymously online within a known context of people.”

"We may feel subjectively that we know what is true and good. We feel justice in our hearts, yet see others who feel likewise about themselves who differ with us. We need to reframe the way we communicate, the way we learn and teach to bridge difference."

“It’s rare that I engage with digital tools in the context of a physical classroom that actively augment my learning experience as opposed to detract from it, but today I did just that. It was a profoundly exciting moment: I caught a brief glimpse into just one of the countless possibilities for what the classroom experience could - and, in my opinion, should - look like in the 21st century.”

“Powerful to have online discussion while we're all in the same room. You see that even when people are quiet during face-to-face discussion, everyone's thoughts are on display. It's fascinating how much more comfortable we are at saying feedback behind a screen name.