OpenSourceLearningProjects
@NetGeners.Net
FREE / OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE (F/OSS) PROJECTS
FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Course: Software Engineering, Year 2008-2009
Lecturer I. Stamelos
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Greece
Conceptual Framework
v.081031

OpenSourceLearningProjects@NetGeners.Net
Objectives:
✔ To apply an open approach to Software Engineering that allows taking
advantage of the opportunities the web provides
✔ To bring together students from different institutions, free learner outside
of formal education and open source communities
✔ To allow students and free learner to learn with practitioners of open
source projects by providing an easy entrance for the first and low burdens
for the later...
✔ And therefore opening up education and blending formal with informal
learning

What it is about and what it is not about
✔It is about finding new ways on how to organize collaborative learning,
sharing and knowledge production within a participatory web 2.0 world
using technology for the sake of its usefulness and bringing together the
various stakeholders
✔It is not about designing complex socio-technological systems for the
sake of technology hoping that it would become a killer application to
revolutionize education as we know it
✔The idea is to start simple, to see what works out and what not, and to
develop it further step by step based on the experiences gathered

Stakeholders & places – simplified overview

What learners can expect?
● Learn together with other students, free learners outside of formal
education and enthusiasts from open source projects
● Create your own learning projects or to join into the learning projects of
others
● Learn from reviewing and studying the learning project activities,
outcomes and presentations of the other learning projects
● A collaborative learning experience – get in touch with peers and
practitioners within a real life situation
● Gain exposure to the various conceptual issues through collaboration
with each other
● Socialize and experience learning within a joyful and interesting
environment
● Do something meaningful by contributing to actual open source projects,
gain repute and expertise

Soft Skills learners' might acquire as a side effect
● To learn how to update your skills and knowledge self-dependently within a
lifelong learning context
●To know how to take full advantage of the web to support your own learning, to
collaborate with others and use the tools required to do so
● Be capable to find sources at the web and to critically evaluate and analyse
them
● Be aware about available free online and desktop software solutions that
facilitate learning, knowledge exchange and collaboration
●Know how to find online communities, to engage in them for personal support,
and to and understands the way they function
● In a nutshell: To gain today's required soft skills; like to communicate,
collaborate and engage in discussions with others, defend your own work and
thoughts and present them, know how to manage a project, or how to resolve
conflicts

What's in it for open source projects?
● Share the burden of newbie integration to the open source world as a
joint venture of higher education institutions and open source projects, and
● Therefore build up a synergy of scale
● Identify potential contributors early
● Provide learners with practical tasks that are of interest for both sides:
the project and the learner (do something meaningful)
● Help learners to learn by contributing to a given project at the same time

What's in it for educational institutions?
● A richer learning experience for your students
● The opportunity to create a learning community, which is not possible
within closed traditional educational settings
● To establish a learning ecosystem that is continuously improving and
growing in a natural evolutionary way
● To assure that subjects meet actual demands, curriculum is up to date
and courses are taught in the best way possible (double feedback loops)
● To work together with fellow educational institutions and open source
communities and thereby sharing the burden of developing such novel
educational provision
● In the long tale: To establish new revenue models, by e.g. providing free
learners outside of formal education with assesment and certification
options against fees (as said, the long taile)

Tools & spaces – simplified overview

Quick start guide for learners:
1st You might register at the NetGeners.Net side.
2nd You now might take a look at the directory to check about existing learning
projects that are of your interest.
3rd (Option A): If you found a learning project that meets your interest you might
add it to your favourites. Afterwards you might contact the project team and ask
how and where to contribute to it best.
3rd (Option B): There are no existing learning projects you are interested in. If this
is the case just register your own learning project within the area of your interest
4th Start working on the learning project(s) as a joint or individual undertaking
You might also be interested in a more detailed quick start guide at:
http://www.slideshare.net/andreasmeiszner/opensourcelearningprojects-
netgenersnet-presentation

Quick start guide for educators & open source projects:
● A. Get in contact with us to discuss about your particular expectations
and needs
● B. Just go ahead, give it a try, see how it works and help us developing it
further

Find out more & participate!
Visit us at: www.netgeners.net
Contact:
A.Meiszner@open.ac.uk