Jason Schwartz writing in the Daily Pennsylvian points out the benefits, four years on, of MIT's decision to provide open access to course materials.
"For the last four years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been pioneering a system known as OpenCourseWare, which allows any Internet user to access materials -- including lecture notes, problem sets and quizzes -- from various university courses...
Copyright issues are a major obstacle for OCW programs, as permission must be obtained for the use of copyrighted materials embedded in professors' lecture notes...
"The primary reason that MIT is doing [OCW] is that its leaders believe in the benefits of openly sharing educational materials and knowledge," MIT OCW Communications Manager Jon Paul Potts said...
Potts added that in addition to being a "a great boost to MIT's image," OCW has brought other perks to the institution.
For example, it has reduced the need for a class-shopping period because students can preview a course on OCW before registering for it.
It has also been a "wonderful recruiting tool" for undergraduate and graduate students as well as young faculty eager to "get their work out there," Potts said...
Potts noted that in addition to publishing courses online, one of MIT's main goals is to spread OCW to other universities. He added that MIT would offer advice and share technology with any school wishing to embark on an OCW program."
No comments:
Post a Comment