stereotypes don't often arise out of thin air ...
Posted on 09/22/2002 2:56:58 AM PDT by freedom9
People will soon be given access to knowledge from one of the world's foremost technology institutes for free over the internet, as BBC World ClickOnline's Ian Hardy reports.
Like almost every organisation in the US, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spent the late 1990s struggling with the question of how to take advantage of the internet.
Many other colleges launched online degree courses aimed at anyone with a modem and a big wallet. But MIT has taken a completely different direction with a project called OpenCourseWare (OCW) that could stop the trend of commercialising online education dead in its tracks.
The first group of courses are set to be published on the internet on 30 September, including subjects like anthropology, biology, chemistry and computer science. Education revolution
"I genuinely think there was an 'a-ha' moment when they said our mission was actually to enhance education," said Anne Margulies, Executive Director of OCW.
"Our hope and aspiration is that by setting an example, other universities will also put their valued materials on the internet Professor Dick Yue, MIT
"Why don't we, instead of trying to sell our knowledge over the internet, just give it away." Over the next 10 years, MIT will move all its existing coursework on to the internet.
There will be no online degrees for sale, however. Instead, it will offer thousands of pages of information, available to anyone around the globe at no cost, as well as hours and hours of streaming video lectures, seminars and experiments.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. MIT wants to start nothing short of a global revolution in education. "Our hope and aspiration is that by setting an example, other universities will also put their valued materials on the internet and thereby make a truly profound and fundamental impact on learning and education worldwide," said MIT's Professor Dick Yue.
One of the big benefits I see to this is streamlining the career selection process. It's not just high school seniors who have to decide what field to study anymore. Many of us are looking at second or third career choices--and the "experts" say this will be common.
If this becomes common practice, being able to look at actual course material on line will help prospective students choose a course of study they are likely to do well in, as well as a field they would enjoy working in.
While I agree that the state universities should have their courses on line, and that people should be able to sit and test out of any course for a fee, I think it's only fair that the fee include money for the professor who teaches the course. After all, he/she put the course together, did the lectures, etc.
The costs should still be vastly lower, since the professor only has to put up the course material once each semester to reach potentially thousands of students.
Also, since there would be no interaction between student and professor, no "homework", no feedback for correction, no term paper assignments, etc., I could understand if universities wanted to make some kind of distinction in degrees between those who attend on campus or take regular online courses as opposed to those who learn the material through self-study. Maybe the distinction could be as simple as Bachelors vs Self-Study Bachelors...
I heard the idea originated with Dean I.P. Freely.
"Why don't we, instead of trying to sell our knowledge over the internet, just give it away."
Imagine that? MIT wants people to have access to their coursework even if they don't get any money for it. I think this is a very positive and noble gesture; a round of applause for MIT!
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