The Impact of Open Source Courses

Open source courses are taking over the distance learning environments like a flood.  Businesses and universities alike are finding the advantages of using open source software to be not only easy to use but economically sound.  According to Simonson et al., “open source software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others”.  (Simonson, et al., 2012, pg. 141)  Davis states “the user avoids the expense of licensing and permits adaptation” as a key advantage of open source.  (Davis, 2010)  However, when it comes to the design of an online environment, how well does the open source site work?

School of Everything is an open source site developed by a group of individuals who thought “the way the current education system is organised is a bit rubbish, rigid and out of date”.   (School of Everything, n.d.)  They set out to design an online educational system inspired by the concept of Free U in California.  What was initially a free-for-all list of courses, instructors willing to teach, and students willing to learn, became “a 21st century new-fangled website thingy so you can design your own education however you please”.  (School of Everything, n.d.)   

What initially began literally as a collection of topics, seem to have taken shape in the form of modules.  The only critical parts of the planning process I noticed were the materials and the environment.  There were only links to resources and the environment was easy to navigate.  I did not see any engaging activities for the students or an evaluation piece to assess objectives.      

This site is especially designed for the adult learner.  There is the assumption “adults are more interested in participating in a distance learning situation because of their motivation to apply learning to their work”.  (Simonson, et al., 2012, pg. 221)  The site is designed to select only those topics you are specifically interested in. I think it follows the Wedemeyer’s Theory of Independent Study.  Wedemeyer believed “outdated concepts of learning and teaching were being employed, and that they failed to utilize modern technologies”.  (Simonson, et al., 2012, pg. 43)  Some may even say Moore’s Theory of Independent Study and Transactional Distance is evident in this site.  Moore believed “the amount of learner autonomy and the distance between teacher and learner” shaped the adult learning experience.  (Simonson, et al., 2012, pg. 44) However, high achieving, self-motivated P12 students could benefit from from this site.  

While this site was quite resourceful, careful consideration toward engaging the distance learner and evaluating learning outcomes could add value to the purpose this site.

 http://schoolofeverything.com/

 

References

Davis, P. (2010, Oct. 10). The Impact of Open Source. Retrieved Aug 2, 2013, from Patricia Davis' Blog: http://davispa.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/the-impact-of-open-source/

School of Everything. (n.d.). Retrieved Aug 2, 2013, from School of Everything Ltd.: http://schoolofeverything.com/about

Simonson, M. S. (2012). Teaaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Boston: Pearson Education.