The MIT Open Courseware project is a success at producing reusable learning materials for public consumption. As the impact of Open Courseware is broadened and more institutions provide open courseware materials, we will need to find ways to organize dynamic learning around those materials involving participants inside classrooms, outside of classrooms, and a mixture of both. Specifically, we will need to create global learning communities and support the ability of their members to work through materials collaboratively. As part of an effort to explore possible next steps beyond Open Content, we are taking a novel approach to teaching university courses where all of the course materials and participant interactions are done in the open. In these courses, anyone can join and participate in the learning community utilizing Sakai. Course materials are produced and published immediately – each participant is presented with one of three views determined on the basis of their relationship to the university course. (1) A public view available to anyone with an Internet connection and a browser. These participants see all the course material, but do not see or participate in the discussion or email interactions. (2) A learning community member view is available to anyone (including the general public) using a University of Michigan Friend account to join the course site. These participants engage in the course materials and the interactive tools. (3) A student view is available to students formally enrolled in the class. The only difference between the student view and the learning community view is that the students have access to an assignments tool which allows the submission and grading of assignments and exams. This poster will describe our experience using this approach in a masters-level class and an undergraduate class, and discuss the implications of our experience for teaching future classes.
Charles Severance and Stephanie D. Teasley, University of Michigan