Free and Open Educational Resources for Faculty, Students, and Self-Learners - College of Charleston Libraries
February 1, 2010
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Lately I have been researching how other institutions deliver online or hybrid courses. In my search I ran across an interesting and informative article on makeuseof.com by Justin Pot titled “6 Really Good Sites with FREE Video Lectures from Top US Colleges. In his conclusion he states,
The Internet’s changed the world, and the availability of free university courses on the Internet is one of the greatest examples of this I can think of. Not so long ago the knowledge imparted on students during university lectures was accessible only to those who could afford to pay tuition. Today information is increasingly free, and I for one think society is better for it.
I have to say I agree. In his article Pot reviewed the following sites that offer free video lectures from Top US colleges that I have looked at and found very useful:
I thought I would add to the list and mention a few other resources I have reviewed recently.
- University of the People (UoPeople) is the world’s first tuition-free, online academic institution. It is a partnership between The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School and UoPeople. Students learn through peer-to-peer teaching with the support of instructors. Currently, the school is NOT accredited.The Information Society Project at Yale Law School is an intellectual center addressing the implications of the Internet and new information technologies for law and society, guided by the values of democracy, human development, and social justice.
- Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative
These courses includes self-guiding materials and activities, and are ideal for independent learners. One of my favorite courses is Visual Communication Design, a short course that teaches students how to design successful documents by establishing effective visual hierarchy and groups of information by using visual variables such as type size, type weight, and spacing. - Utah State OpenCourseWare
Similar to MITopencourseware, a valuable resource. - Notre Dame OpenCourseWare
Free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners.
Along with the resources mentioned above, I also want to note a few other great resources I often use when looking for educational materials.
- Wikiversity
A Wikimedia Foundation project devoted to learning resources, learning projects, and research for use in all levels, types, and styles of education from pre-school to university, including professional training and informal learning. - Wikibooks
A Wikimedia community for creating a free library of educational textbooks that anyone can edit. - The Internet Archive’s library of Open Educational Resources
A library of free courses, video lectures, and supplemental materials from universities in the United States and China, many of which are available for download.
As I find more resources for online educational resources, I will continue adding them. If you have one that is not on the list, let me know!