Application: The Impact of Open Source Week 5
In order to fully understand this
assignment, I needed to examine what exactly and Open Course was. Its defined
as “free educational software that’s maintained by users who implement, even
modify, and ultimately support their systems to meet local, specific needs”
(Simonson, M., et al. 2012). Out of the open course sites provided I chose to
look deeper at Yale University’s courses. Their program is designed for people
that are not seeking a degree or
certificate but are self-directed, life-long learners. The courses are optional
and the learner is not required to register.
The African American history
course taught by Professor Johnathon Holloway caught my interest the most.
Looking at the course; the layout was organized very well for each session lecture.
The sessions included recorded video lectures and each one was specified by
time frames and events that took place
within those times. Chapter readings and other resources were also provided
with each lecture and you also had the ability to playback the parts you
needed. This course appears to be carefully pre-planned and designed for the
distance learning environment because learners taking the course are already
self- disciplined and motivated to seek additional knowledge on the topic of
African America history. They can also structure their own learning process by
using the course resources and remixing
the course content breaking it down into
strategies that can help them to understand it. The syllabus is a great tool to
assist in planning and design. It is the “glue that holds the course or learning
experience together” (Simonson. M., et al. 2012) because it gives a clear outline and understanding
of what the course is about before making the decision to take it and the learner
would also know what kinds of materials and resources would be needed to start
the class. The grading and course requirements are outlined as well so the
student knows what is expected of them.
At the beginning of each
session there’s an overview. It consist of the content the professor covers
throughout the recorded lecture. A transcript is also provided so the learner
can read through and take notes if necessary.
An audio or mp3 version is also available. This can be downloaded to an iPod or
mp3 device.
These courses seem similar to
the “talking head” approach to distance learning by using prerecorded media
because Holloway is giving the lecture in the classroom setting and the learner
has reading material, self-help and video resources for independent study to go
along with the lesson. The course layout was very basic and fairly easy to
follow but I am not sure if it follows the recommendations for online
instruction according to the text because opportunities are not provided for
students to become actively engaged and there is no interaction. It’s like
having the F2F classroom where the instructor is talking the whole time and
there is no opportunity to participate.
In this particular open course
site setup there were no activities that could maximize active learning for
students because the format is geared more toward self -help but what students
could do to maximize their learning experience is create strategies of their
own to assist in active learning.
Resources
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S.,
Albright, M., Zvacek, S., (2012) Teaching
and learning at a distance. (5th e.d.). p. 162
Yale University, (2012) Open Yale Courses. African American history:
from emancipation to present. Retrieved from: http://oyc.yale.edu/african-american-studies
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