What is Open Source?
In education open source software is used to design and present online courses for learners participating in distance and hybrid or blended learning. The courses are created using course management systems (CMS) also known as learning management systems (LMS). Using open source CMS instructional designers and educators can customize and create courses for their schools without paying for code and in many cases without paying for licensing. This means they administer the systems and are responsible for all aspects of building and maintaining the courses, so there are still operational costs associated.
Review of a Free Open Source Course
The course reviewed is HIST251: Early modern England: politics, religion, and society under the Tudors and Stuarts from Open Yale Courses at Yale University. The course can be accessed at http://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-251.
The subject is of particular interest so motivation to take this course was high. Upon landing at the home page of this course there are headings that link to the syllabus and to session information. There is information on the instructor and also a link to download the course material.
Does the course appear to be designed for a distance learning environment?
In my opinion this course was not designed for distance learning. For all of the sessions I reviewed the camera remains static and focused on the instructor while he delivers lectures, apart from the few times he refers to the blackboard. I did not at any point see or hear the audience engage in discussions with him. In fact my motivation to continue quickly dissipated due to the lack of activity, there is only so many hours I can keep listening to lectures and watch the instructor without any type of engagement. When designing for distance learners it is important to keep the learners engaged and actively involved, according to the book Teaching and Learning at a Distance on planning for instruction at a distance “The focus of the instruction shifts to visual presentations, engaged learners, and careful timing of presentations of information” (Simsonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). None of this was incorporated in this course, it is apparent to me this was originally a face-to-face course and the lectures were captured on video and placed online without any modification for the distance learner.
Does the course follow recommendations for online instruction?
When designing for the online learner certain factors have to be considered. Information that should be part of the planning process as defined by Simonson et al. (2012) are;
Who are the Learners? - understand their abilities and backgrounds so interactivity is not a problem.
What is the Learning Environment - design so learners can navigate easily and follow activities, and so they know how to access resources when problems arise.
What is the Essential Content? - understand and create objectives according to goals, then structure in a logical sequence so learners can continue to relate and construct knowledge as sessions progress.
Determine Teaching Strategies and Media - Refer to the goals identified and learner abilities to select appropriate media that will ensure learner engagement and involvement.
The course does not follow the above suggestions in planning for distance learning. Of major importance is of course the learner and emphasis is on ways to keep them engaged in the content. The instructor in this open source course does not engage learners, instead he teaches via lectures. Lecturing is considered “teacher-centered” rather than “student-centered”, according to Simonson et al (2012) this is not suitable for online learning and does not promote the type of collaboration and interaction required for the online learner.
References
Simsonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance (Fifth ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
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