Comments on: MIT and the future of open-source education http://boingboing.net/2011/12/30/mit-and-the-future-of-open-sou.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: kfogel http://boingboing.net/2011/12/30/mit-and-the-future-of-open-sou.html#comment-1308304 kfogel Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=136514#comment-1308304 Neither the course materials nor the presentations are actually open source, by the way.  They are free online for non-commercial use only -- derivative works are permitted, but they must be non-commercial too.  http://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-intellectual-property/ It's nice that they're making the "learning platform" software itself open source, of course.  But that's distinct from the content, which apparently will remain non-open-source. FWIW, I think it would be a much better move both for MIT and for the rest of us if they went all the way and made OCW open source.  I suspect the blocker is the professors, who often have textbook contracts of the standard publishing industry variety, rather than the school itself.  Would love it if someone with real investigative journalism chops looked into that hypothesis, though :-). Neither the course materials nor the presentations are actually open source, by the way.  They are free online for non-commercial use only — derivative works are permitted, but they must be non-commercial too.  http://ocw.mit.edu/help/faq-intellectual-property/

It’s nice that they’re making the “learning platform” software itself open source, of course.  But that’s distinct from the content, which apparently will remain non-open-source.

FWIW, I think it would be a much better move both for MIT and for the rest of us if they went all the way and made OCW open source.  I suspect the blocker is the professors, who often have textbook contracts of the standard publishing industry variety, rather than the school itself.  Would love it if someone with real investigative journalism chops looked into that hypothesis, though :-).

]]> By: David McKee http://boingboing.net/2011/12/30/mit-and-the-future-of-open-sou.html#comment-1307341 David McKee Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=136514#comment-1307341 I think you're confusing this with Stanford's classes, which had three classes last term and 16 this time. I can heartily recommend the Machine Learning class for people who have a good grasp of programming, don't mind learning Matlab/Octave and have an interest in the topic from my experience last term. For free online courses starting in a few weeks, look to Stanford and the bottom of http://www.algo-class.org/ I think you’re confusing this with Stanford’s classes, which had three classes last term and 16 this time. I can heartily recommend the Machine Learning class for people who have a good grasp of programming, don’t mind learning Matlab/Octave and have an interest in the topic from my experience last term.

For free online courses starting in a few weeks, look to Stanford and the bottom of http://www.algo-class.org/

]]> By: EH http://boingboing.net/2011/12/30/mit-and-the-future-of-open-sou.html#comment-1307042 EH Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=136514#comment-1307042 I'm taking their Intro to Algorithms class starting in January, I can't wait! I’m taking their Intro to Algorithms class starting in January, I can’t wait!

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