The Impact of Open Source

For this week’s assignment I am supposed to analyze the impact of open source courses. In order to do this I decided to look at Yale Universities open Yale courses. I chose PHIL 176- Death with Professor Shelly Kagan (spring, 2007). The reason for choosing such a subject is because the course project I am completing at Walden University this term requires me to create an orientation for a similar topic “philosophy” a subject I truly enjoy. Not many people are aware of these open courses. Since this course began I have shared this information with several people throughout my network, especially anyone interested in bachelor and graduate degree studies online. This is a great way for them to audit the environment of online learning and become familiar with the expectations and offerings.

As I audited the course, the first thing I noticed was the design of the site. The font was large enough to read but did not crowd out the balance or color scheme. The tabs to the right of the page are positioned there and like Walden give a more formal impression, as opposed to this blog which features the tabs to the right of the page and a much less formal feel. The image and title at the intro to the course impress upon the learner several things. First, the instructor has a relaxed appearance but behind him is the image of an Ivy League educational classroom setting. Below professor Kagan are his credentials and they are impressive including but not limited to Princeton University and the University of Pittsburgh. The course is structured like a pyramid, using” blooms taxonomy in the cognitive domain” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009). Here ideas are presented in question format then answers each with research, concepts and principles.

The only limitation I can identify would be the lack of instant feedback and group interaction for social development. It appears that there will only be feedback at the convenience of the professor whose schedule is quite busy. The course contains many of the components discussed in our text, from readings which are available on the site and do not require the purchase of any text, course presentations, evaluation tools and for enhancement features there are podcasts supported by iTunes (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009). This course does follow all of the recommendations highlighted on page 249 of our text from syllabus, course requirements and expectation to grading percentages “grading criteria” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009). I found the course activities to maximize individual learner interaction while integrating the appropriate amount of technology for the subject. At the same time it “trains students to use the course’s website” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009). The course progresses by clicking on the descending tabs as it does in many online learning environments, taking the guesswork out of what comes next and allows students to naturally refer back to previous pages for supporting resources. This course is also aligned with the five “abilities”, which include “interoperability, re-usability, manageability, accessibility and durability” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009). It is apparent plenty of thought went into the development, design and implementation of such a course. I believe open courses challenge the very fiber of for – profit CMS platforms and online education. For-profits are challenged to raise the bar in its offerings to the learner and “force them to improve their product quality, change their pricing models, and bolster customer relations, will be the focus of much interest over the next few years” (Simonson & Zvacek, 2009).

Reference:

Kagan, S. (2007). Yale University. Open courses. Death with Professor Shelly Kagan. Retrieved July 29,2011 from http://oyc.yale.edu/philosophy/death

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Boston MA. Pearson/Ally & Bacon