The Open University’s commitment to broadening access to education is being taken to another level with the launch of OpenLearn, its major new open content initiative. The OpenLearn website will make educational resources freely available on the internet, with state-of-the-art learning support and collaboration tools to connect learners and educators.
The OpenLearn site goes live on Wednesday, October 25. This £5.65 million project, generously supported by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, will cover a full range of subjects from arts and history to science and nature, at all study levels from access to postgraduate.
Available to learners and educators throughout the UK and worldwide, the project will be of particular significance in The Open University’s efforts to widen access to hard-to-reach groups and tackle educational disadvantage both within the developed and developing worlds.
Professor David Vincent, The Open University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor said OpenLearn could be seen as the next generation of open access learning at the Open University.
He added: “Our mission has always been to be open to people, places, methods and ideas and OpenLearn allows us to extend these values into the 21st century. We want to lead the learning revolution, experimenting with new models of content and technologies. OpenLearn is a huge step towards this aim. The philosophy of open access and sharing knowledge –a cornerstone of this project –matches the founding principles of The Open University.”
Professor Andy Lane, Director of OpenLearn, said: “For the first time we are making some of our educational resources freely available online to anyone in the world. As leaders in distance education, we are contributing a very distinct offering in the field of open educational resources.
"We are encouraging learners to become self-reliant but also to use online communities to support their learning. We are making it possible for educators to download and adapt our materials for their own purposes. All this will teach us a huge amount about how people can learn and teach online.”
About OpenLearn
Up to now
The OpenLearn story started in 2005 with a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Website development began in May 2006 and the site was launched in October 2006. It offers a range of subject areas from access to postgraduate level. By April 2008, 5,400 learning hours of content will be available online.
Our aims
Through OpenLearn we are committed to:
- discovering how non-formal learning communities can be created and supported through the provision of open learning materials
- working with others to include hard-to-reach groups, especially those for whom the cost of education would normally be a barrier
- developing sustainable and scaleable models of delivery for open learning materials
- moving forward the thinking and practice on intellectual property rights and quality assurance
- enhancing international research-based knowledge about modern pedagogies for higher education
- making a significant impact on both the quality and reach of open content delivery at an international level
What does The Open University bring to the open content field?
Since its founding in 1969, The Open University has been a pioneer in making learning materials freely available through its successful partnership with the BBC. Many of our television and radio programmes are already supported by free internet activities and print materials.
The open content movement is a key opportunity to help us fulfil our mission of opening up education. The scale and the experience of The Open University are the two significant factors in the development of OpenLearn.
We offer:
- Unrivalled reputation in distance learning: our expertise lies in creating and using learning materials designed to be studied flexibly by people who have a range of needs and experience.
- A vast quantity of high quality learning materials: we specialise in content and support designed for distance and elearning; this includes self-assessment tools, collaboration forums and a personalised learner experience.
- Recognised communication and support tools: OpenLearn uses a number of learning support and social networking tools to replicate the different informal modes of communication and learning that happen on a traditional campus. Developed by our Knowledge Media Institute, these tools facilitate the creation and support of elearning communities, while allowing us to investigate and evaluate their use in the open content environment.
- Robust systems: we have a highly regarded record of developing the technological and pedagogical systems required to provide a meaningful learning experience.
About OpenLearn
We hope you find these frequently asked questions helpful. You can also use the forums to ask further questions.
OpenLearn basics
What is OpenLearn?
Where do I start?
Will it cost me anything to use OpenLearn?
Do I need any qualifications to use OpenLearn?
What does level mean?
Can I speak to a tutor?
Can I get any qualifications through OpenLearn?
Can I join an online discussion group?
How does using OpenLearn differ from studying with The Open University?
Why should I register?
What are forum posts?
What is a learning journal?
What are ‘tags’in the learning journal?
Educational resources
How do I find the educational resources?
How long does each unit take to complete?
How do I know what content will be at my level?
Can I contribute my own educational resources to OpenLearn?
Can I use your materials to teach my class?
Can I link to OpenLearn from my website?
Translations
Can I translate your materials into different languages?
Technical
What kind of computer do I need to use OpenLearn?
Why can't I log in?
What technology is used to publish the OpenLearn website?
Is it possible to save the video files to a disk or to my hard drive?
Is OpenLearn an open-source project?
How can I extract text and other information from a PDF file?
How do I change the font size on OpenLearn?
Will OpenLearn be compliant with W3C standards and accessibility requirements?
What information does OpenLearn collect from visitors to the website?
What are ‘cookies’, and does OpenLearn make use of cookies on its website?
Does OpenLearn share the information it receives?
Project
How long is the project?
What are the long-term goals of OpenLearn?
Are there other initiatives like this at The Open University?
Who works on OpenLearn?
Where can I find out more?
Where do you publish the results of your research and evaluation?
Cost
How much will OpenLearn cost and who is paying for it?
How much does it cost to use OpenLearn materials?
How can I support OpenLearn with a financial donation?
Intellectual property
Who owns the intellectual property in materials published on the OpenLearn website?
What can I do with OpenLearn materials?
What about the licensing implications when using software tools?
What does OpenLearn mean by ‘non-commercial’use of OpenLearn materials?
How do I cite OpenLearn content?
How do I contribute my own work to OpenLearn?
Other
Will enquiries to OpenLearn be answered?
Can I buy Open University books relating to one of the units I’m studying?
What opportunities are there for me to see the TV programmes?
OpenLearn is a special freely offered initiative; whom should I contact in The Open University about accredited educational provision?
OpenLearn is taken from Open University courses involving accreditation; can The Open University help my institution to offer such courses?
The Open University is famous for the way it designs its teaching material ; can it design material for my institution?
OpenLearn basics
What is OpenLearn?
OpenLearn is the Open University’s way of making a selection of its learning materials available free of charge on the internet to learners and educators around the world.
In the LearningSpace you can benefit from the latest in educational thinking by accessing Open University learning materials. These are designed to be studied flexibly, away from any formal teaching environment, by people who have many demands on their time, and who have a range of needs and experience.
The LabSpace is the part of OpenLearn which is a community-led environment that fosters the concept of sharing and reusing educational resources. It is intended for educational and other professional practitioners and more adventurous learners.
Where do I start?
Are you a learner? If you are a learner, please visit the LearningSpace to access our range of materials. All materials are designed to be studied flexibly to fit in with the time you have available. The LearningSpace also offers a number of learning support tools, designed to help you keep track of your learning and to facilitate the development of your ideas through discussion with other users.
Do you work in education? If you work in the education field, are a professional practitioner in a different field or are particularly enthusiastic about a topic, the LabSpace provides an online environment in which you can experiment with the learning material and share your passion. The LabSpace is a community-led site with a sophisticated range of online tools.
Do you want to work with us? OpenLearn welcomes the chance to collaborate with educational providers to widen access to our educational resources. Read more about how you can get involved in Get involved
Will it cost me anything to use OpenLearn?
No. OpenLearn materials are free and open to all.
Do I need any qualifications to use OpenLearn?
No you don’t need any formal educational qualifications to use OpenLearn. Each OpenLearn unit is set at one of three levels –introductory, intermediate or advanced. The level indicates the amount of previous educational experience expected to enable you to study the unit without too much difficulty and within the stated hours of study. If you are new to higher education we recommend that you start with units at introductory level.
What does level mean?
Each unit is currently allocated one of three levels –introductory, intermediate and advanced –indicated in the summary description of each unit in the lists of Units by Topic. These refer to the degree of sophistication and knowledge normally expected of someone who can successfully study and meet all the intended learning outcomes. When we allocated levels to each unit, these were based on the assumption that you have an interest in the subject of the unit, but not that you have any prior subject knowledge. Another benchmark we used to assign level was reading/study abilities, which we have broadly equated to your previous educational qualifications. You will find below a guide to how these compare, and you may find this helpful when selecting the right level for you to study. To take a full part in the suggested activities and exercises and devote enough time to think through what the unit is about, the previous educational qualifications normally expected for each unit would broadly be as follows:
- for introductory level units, previous educational qualifications would not guarantee higher education entry
- for intermediate level units, previous educational qualifications would guarantee entry to higher education
- for advanced level units, previous educational experience would include study at higher education level.
Our audience is worldwide and it may be that your reading/study abilities and the type of qualifications you have are not easily assessed along the above lines. If so, our advice to you is to try a lower level unit first, see how that fits with your expectations and confidence to work at that level, and then select any further units accordingly.
Can I speak to a tutor?
OpenLearn does not provide you with a tutor. Instead, every unit has a discussion forum. Once logged in, you can use these forums to share your ideas, views and questions with others. There is also a site-wide Help and support forum which is the place to post queries and answers if you want help using the LearningSpace or LabSpace.
Can I get any qualifications through OpenLearn?
No, it’s not possible to gain any qualifications through OpenLearn. You will need to register for an Open University course if you want to become a student and have the support of a tutor, sit examinations and gain qualifications. For more information visit the Study at the OU section of The Open University’s website. You might want to order a printed prospectus.
Can I join an online discussion group?
Yes. By registering with OpenLearn, you can participate in a range of forums each having an online message board where you can post messages for others to read and respond to.
How does using OpenLearn differ from studying with The Open University?
OpenLearn provides online free learning materials taken from Open University courses. It does not require you to become an OU student and does not award credits or grant degrees. It does not provide access to the services provided for registered students of the University. If you are interested in studying with the University please visit the Open University's online prospectus or request a printed prospectus.
Why should I register?
You will get the most from the website if you register (registration is free). Registering will give you full access to a range of features that are not available to guests. Once you have registered you can enrol for free on any of our units. If you enrol you will be able to participate in the activities associated with the unit and receive updates from the associated unit forum. If you no longer want to participate in the activities or receive updates on a particular unit you can withdraw from your enrolment. You do not need to register if you just want to read a unit as a guest user without participating in activities and receiving updates.
What are forum posts?
If you want to contribute to a forum you will need to complete your message and send it (post it) to the particular forum. A post is a message sent in to a forum, and it can be changed by the writer within a period of thirty minutes of first writing it. If you are registered you will receive email copies of posts written by others. To write and receive posts for any forum you need to be subscribed to the forum. You can say that you don’t want to be emailed copies of posts.
What is a learning journal?
A learning journal is a tool on OpenLearn that allows you to keep your own personal notes and reflections on your study experiences. You can share your notes with others if you wish, but you can keep the notes to yourself if you wish.
What are ‘tags’in the learning journal?
You can mark each of the entries you make in your learning journal with a ‘tag’–a label –to classify it. You can create any labels you wish and then select them from a list when you are ready to classify your entry.
Educational resources
How do I find the educational resources?
The educational materials –called units –are grouped under different topics such as Arts and History, Business and Management and so on. The list of topics is available on the left-hand side of the home page and on many other pages. Click on the topic that interests you to find a list of the units which are currently available under that topic; then click through to the unit you want. You can also use the Search box in the top left hand corner of the site to find what you are looking for.
How long does each unit take to complete?
Units vary in length between 3 and 15 hours –the equivalent of an evening’s through to a week’s work. The unit description in the list of Units by Topic gives the amount of time that we estimate that you should spend as a minimum to read the unit, take a full part in the suggested activities and exercises, and devote enough time to think through what it has to say. Depending on your circumstances and level of prior study experience and knowledge, you could take longer than the stated time.
How do I know what content will be at my level?
Each OpenLearn unit is set at a particular level to indicate the amount of previous educational experience expected for you to be able to study the unit without too much difficulty and within the stated hours of study. There are three levels –introductory, intermediate and advanced –indicated in the summary description of each unit in the list of Units by Topic. If you are new to higher education we recommend that you start with units at introductory level.
Can I contribute my own educational resources to OpenLearn?
We are planning to introduce a facility to enable you to do this in early 2007. In the meantime, the LabSpace enables you to download OpenLearn units, adapt them to your needs –translate, shorten, extend, add supporting or contradictory examples –and then place them back in the LabSpace for others to benefit.