The Impact of Open Source

This blog is my review of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Course. I explored an MIT OpenCourseWare entitled “6.002 Circuits and Electronics. This course was offered in the spring of 2007. This site may be found at http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-002-circuits-and-electronics-spring-2007/index.htm. Although this course was originally planned and designed as a first course for undergraduate electrical engineering (EE) and electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) majors, its design and layout makes it easily adaptable to be offered in a distance learning environment.

When planning and designing for distance learning environments, structuring the course to be meaningful and goal oriented is very important. The course shell of this open course is very well laid out. The course home is very user friendly. Linked modules are included on the homepage that takes the learner to specific places which makes the site very intuitive to navigate. A thorough course description is noted on the course home page. The linked syllabus provides all of the pertinent information for a face-to-face classroom environment. For learners that partake in open courses, in my opinion, course objectives and learner outcomes are the most important pieces in the syllabus when making the decision to take the course. Also, course expectations are broken down into weekly readings, labs, exams, and assignments.

This open course also follows many of the recommendations for online learning listed in our textbook. One recommendation is that students have access to resources. This course provides the learners access to many resources used in this course to assist learning. The need for special software is very minimal in viewing links for this course. An e-book link is provided to allow student’s access to the course’s reading assignments referred to in the required textbook. PDF files are linked into the assignments, exams, and labs modules. Another recommendation for online learning is the use of different media. This course uses media such as e-books and video lectures. A third recommendation for online learning is a clear indication of equipment requirements. In this course, learners are made aware of the required textbook in the syllabus, and technical requirements are indicated on the course homepage.

The designer of this course implemented engaging, learning activities, whether in a face-to-face learning environment or in a distance learning environment. To explore circuits and electronics, the designer includes a link to a web-based laboratory. The laboratory, WebSim, is a very critical piece for an open course of this caliber. It allows the learners to experiment with circuits as explored in the course. These simulated lab experiences provide opportunities for learners to get as close to hands-on experiences, as possible, in a distance learning environment, while building intuition and having fun. Likewise, a link is provided for learners to join a study group to collaborate with other students around the world that are studying the course. Collaboration is a key component in distance learning because it provides extending learning experiences.

MIT OpenCourseWare, although not originally designed for distance learning environments, is planned and designed in a way that makes it easily adaptable for a distance learner. Its course layout is very user friendly. Navigation is very intuitive. Course objectives and learner outcomes are very clear. Expectations (readings, labs, assignments, exams) are broken down into sections, and each section is broken down into weekly expectations. Resources are linked into the assignments, which saves the learner’s time in locating specific resources. Finally, the designer has implemented some very engaging, learning activities in the labs, the web-based laboratory, and the link to a study group.