In a rare coup for the last prestigious university on the outbound red line, Tufts already had a step up on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in developing its OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative. But despite holding an ace, we failed to make use of it.
Tufts already had a system in place allowing graduate students in the professional sciences schools to access a variety of course material online several years before MIT launched the first OCW effort. Tufts University Sciences Knowledgebase (TUSK) is similar to OCW and many of the initial OCW courses are stripped down versions of TUSK. The service is available to undergraduate students, but few know about it.
The University is taking a big step forward in providing course materials free to the world via the Internet. Not only will it allow students around the world to benefit from supplementary materials, it also brings promises of increased collaboration, and the development of an online campus.
This initiative follows in a long line of community-oriented measures that place Tufts among the most civic-oriented universities. (For example, President Bacow's pledge to adhere to the Kyoto Protocol.)
OCW makes the current Blackboard system used in most undergraduate courses look like a refugee's raft docked next to the millionaire's catamaran. While paying students continue to plug through an outdated interface, the rest of the world will have access to valuable resources through an interface superior in both cost and functionality.
OCW places all content on the Web site and there is no need to open cumbersome attachments. In addition, a more visually appealing interface makes navigation far quicker. The organizational structure follows like a course, and useful tools are not hid behind cookie-cutter menu titles. With this vastly superior resource at our disposal, why does Tufts continue to outsource to a provider like the Washington, D.C.-based Blackboard, Inc.?
Tools like Blackboard and OCW have the potential to be useful resources, though many professors do not capitalize on its capabilities. Surely implementing a Tufts-coded and designed interface would increase the incentive for professors to make course materials more easily available. The current system available to undergraduates is sub-standard, and before Tufts shares its resources with the world, it should first share them with students.
One the other hand, one setback of placing all of this valuable information on the Web is that it may cause some to wonder what they are paying for at Tufts. Granted, OCW is not a degree-granting program nor does it give credit. But with the entirety of a course available online, students may be less inclined to attend classes.
The Internet has made learning easier, but the value of receiving an education at the university level should be far greater. And with increasing pressures from the accessibility of the Internet, professors and administrators will need to vitalize classroom discussions, activities and experiences.
Improving offerings online is actually two battles in one. We have made great steps in disseminating our knowledge to the underprivileged, but the classroom experience will have to make giant leaps to catch up. The benefit of having attended classes at Tufts should not simply be receiving a piece of paper at commencement. OCW has the potential to be an amazing asset for the University, and while it is a noble effort to value the needs of the less fortunate, OCW - together with TUSK - can easily enhance the learning experience for students.
