The document discusses the OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC), which is a collaboration of over 200 higher education institutions creating open educational course content. The OCWC aims to advance education worldwide by providing open course materials. It summarizes the benefits of OCWC membership, which include consultation, collaboration, collective visibility, and sustainability support. Current OCWC projects highlighted include the OCWC Toolkit, discipline-based content collaborations, and technological collaborations.

1. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 25, 2009 Willem van Valkenburg, TU Delft Presentation is derived from the presentation Introduction to OCWC by Terri Bays

2. Who are we? What are we doing here? Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 25, 2009

3. Who Are We?—The OCW Movement An Open courseware (OCW) is a free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners throughout the world. OCW is not a distance-learning initiative: there are no degrees granted, no student/faculty interactions and no transcripts. OCW is a collection of high-quality learning materials presented in the form of courses . OCW materials are there for the taking and for transformation. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

4. Syllabi Readings Lecture notes Tests/quizzes Lectures (video, audio) etc… The OCW Movement —OCW is composed of… OCW can be fully instructional, but does not need to be. But OCW does not: Provide access to faculty Grant credit, a certificate, or a degree. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

5. Who are we? —Your Partners in OER OCW is only one type of Open Educational Resource (OER). OERs are only one type of Open Content. We have much to share with each other. Open Educational Resources Open Content OCW Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 25, 2009

6. The OCW Consortium —Mission The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a collaboration of more than 200 higher education institutions and associated organizations from around the world creating a broad and deep body of open educational content using a shared model. The mission of the OpenCourseWare Consortium has been to advance education and empower people worldwide through opencourseware. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

7. The OCW Consortium http://ocwconsortium.org

8. The OCW Consortium —Growth Growth in Official Membership Since April 2008

9. The OCW Consortium —Growth Growth by Region Since April, 2008

10. The OCW Consortium —Growth Number of Courses Since October, 2003

11. The OCW Consortium —Members Institutional Members commit to publishing, under the institution's name, materials from at least 10 courses in a format that meets the agreed-upon definition of an opencourseware. Affiliate Members either publish courses in an area other than higher ed. (e.g. corporate training or K-12) or engage in activities that further Consortium goals (e.g. software development, translation, distribution or regional support). Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

12. Benefits of Membership —Consultation Whether you’re just starting your OCW site or fine tuning an existing site, the OCWC is available to help you out. OCWC conferences and ongoing forums provide OCWC members the opportunity to share solutions and best practices. The OCW Toolkit provides recommendations and tools for OCW development. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

13. Benefits of Membership —Collaboration The OCWC provides administrative support and space for Working Groups gathered around areas of common interest, such as Evaluation, Accessibility or Intellectual Property. The OCWC encourages members to report on nascent projects to allow time and opportunities for collaboration. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

14. Benefits of Membership —Collective Visibility The OCWC Website provides direct links to the sites of its members. The OCW Course Finder allows users to search across OCWC member sites. The OCWC develops e-visibility guidelines for members. OCWC members share media exposure. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

15. Benefits of Membership —Sustainability Sharing best practices among OCWC members promotes quality and efficiency within individual projects. Resource-Sharing across OCWC members cuts down on duplication of cost, effort and expertise. OCWC discussions assist members in articulating the value of OCW to their home institutions. Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

16. Who are we? What are we doing here? Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

17. Current Projects —OCWC Toolkit http:// www.ocwconsortium.org /toolkit (Toolbox photo by skitz: http://www. flickr .com/photos/skistz/398429879/sizes/l/ . Released under CC-BY.)

18. Current Projects —Discipline-Based Content Collaborations OER Health GEM4 (global enterprise for micromechanics and molecular medicine) Bioinformatics International Association for Political Science Students Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

19. Current Projects —Technological Collaborations Social Sourcing of eduCommons Social Networking Tools for Users Metadata Tools and Standards Accessibility Tools IP and Workflow Management Tools Open Sharing, Global Benefits February 6, 2009

20. Thank You! Visit The OpenCourseWare Consortium portal at http://www.ocwconsortium.org Contact the Consortium at: [email_address]