Open Source Learning

In addition to supplying lots of good resources—audio and video pod casts for free—Open Culture (found at http://www.openculture.com/) is part of a growing educational trend taking place online. Simonson et al (2009) note that while open source does not necessarily mean free, there are a number of course management systems that offer “The code in which the software is written” for free to those who adhere to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) (256). The idea behind the OSI is to provide anyone who wants to learn a chance to do it at a distance. Rather than worry about assignments, rosters, and grades, Open Culture supplies any learner with a standard computer with Internet access an opportunity for higher learning.

Open Culture appears to be pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment because it is organized with the learner in mind. While the course is linked to YouTube or I-Tunes in most cases, there is documentation provided that explains what learners are about to see. When clicking on the American Literature I course from the Open Culture course menu, New York University’s Professor Cyrus Patell’s Biography is accessible as well as a summary about the course he is leading and a list of key topics his course will cover. There are transcripts available for each video pod cast which is another indication of the pre-planning needed to meet learner’s needs as well as a PDF file of Professor Patell’s lecture notes. The video reveals Professor Patell in a college classroom where he is actually lecturing to a traditional face-to-face class. I believe this course, while focusing on content and knowledge rather than the development of skills, follows what Simonson et all (2009) say about the goal of distance learning: to provide similar learning experiences to that of traditional face-to-face experiences.

Open Culture follows the recommendations for online instruction as listed in our course textbook as it places the emphasis on the student. As Piskurich & Chauser (2011) also discuss, solid distance learning experiences allow learners to explore and learn as designers decided what content to cover, how learners would access the material, and what learners can do with their new-found knowledge. Open Culture supplies accurate and scholarly content as its courses are supported by renowned universities and are facilitated by reputable college professors. However, deciding what students should do with the information and how one might assess student learning is not the focus of Open Source education. In fact, the designers of Open Culture did not spend time designing and developing tasks and assignments that reinforce the curriculum the course covers. In addition, although the videos may be reviewed at leisure and transcripts are available, the course format is always a video or audio cast of the teacher’s lecture. The traditional lecture format is not the best way to reach all learners.

Although the potential of Open Source learning, like what Open Culture provides to any distance learner, may not be the best thing to add to a resume, learners who cannot afford or who have no means to physically attend college now have the means to get a higher education. Open Source learning, like the kind provided by Open Culture, is a great idea that can help educate the people all over the world when they may not have had such an opportunity otherwise.

References

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (2011). Planning and designing online courses. Video.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance learning (4^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.