Open Source

The Impact of Open Source


Open sources software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, pg. 256). Open courses allow for learning environments and resources to be shared at any point in the learning process, by anyone interested in the information being disseminated. In review this week, my Distance Learning course, through learning resources and selected examples, explored the concept or idea of Open Courses and the impact of Open Source. The idea of “open” courses is being implemented in various capacities by the educational community.

Taking a further look into Open Courses, one valuable example is Yale University’s, Open Yale Courses, viewable online at http://www.oyc.yale.edu/ . Yale, through the use of open sources software, has made available a variety of introductory level courses (in different subjects), open to the public, including syllabi, tests, quizzes, assignments, and class resources. In an effort to provide a more substantial look into an actual course, I selected Yale’s, CLCV 205 - Introduction to Ancient Greek History, from their Classics selections.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment?

Yale has taken measures to design and develop this course with distance learning as a primary focus. The course management system is functional and simplistic. Each course has the same layout, provides each learner with course descriptions, found in the Course Contents. Lectures for this course were prerecorded and are reviewable as audio files (mp3 format) or video files (flash format).

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook?

Simonson, et al., lists, as noted by the Massie Center, five abilities that e-learning standards should enable:

1. Interoperability

2. Re-usability

3. Manageability

4. Accessibility

5. Durability

The Yale Open Courses are easily accessible and manageable through various systems. The prerecorded lectures and coursework can be reused for other sessions or courses. Each course has survey or evaluation to be completed by the learner upon finishing the course. All course materials are made available at all times. Lastly, the course management system is flexible in is design, making upgrades or course re-design simple.

Does the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

Effective communication is a critical aspect of distance learning. This particular open course utilizes study groups to facilitate communication amongst student peer groups. The study groups, in my opinion, represents an activity that supports the learning process. The study groups illicit further discussion of course topics and assignments, serves as a method to stimulate learner engagement through the process, active learning.



References:

Open Yale Courses: A free open website offering a number of introductory courses taught by Yale University professors. http://oyc.yale.edu/

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

Wayner, P. (2011). Open source programming tools on the rise. 13 open source development projects making waves in the enterprise. Retrieved July 30, 2011 from http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/open-source-programming-tools-the-rise-740?page=0,0&source=fssr