Is the Harvard Open Course Learning Initiative valuable as a successful distance learning environment?

Harvard Extension School

Harvard Open Courses: Open Learning Initiative

[http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative]

Although it is impressive that Harvard has taken the initiative to make their courses available to the public, the Harvard Open Course website [http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative] is not carefully pre-planned nor designed as a healthy distance learning environment.  This website provides the general public with access to text resources and complementary lecture series resources.  However, it is missing several components of effective distance learning. 

These components are essential to the success of a distance learner, and most of them could be added to the web site with minimal effort by the web site coordinator.  This web site does not determine and communicate learning goals and expectations (Simonson, et. al., 2012).  It does not offer opportunities for the professors to get to know their learners, nor visa versa (Simonson, et. al.,2012).  Since the web site does not give any type of credit for the open source courses, there is zero accountability (Smith Nash, 2005).  There is no evidence of a plan for systematic evaluation and feedback, aside from the ability to email a few site coordinators (Morrison, 2007).  Finally, there is no plan for authentic assessment, student collaboration, or student discussion (Mertler, 2001) (Dede, 2005).  Since it is missing these components of successful distance learning classrooms, this open course website, although valuable in its own rite, is not a good example of a healthy distance learning classroom.

References

Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly, 28(1), 7–12.

Mertler, C. A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2007). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Smith Nash, S. (2005). Learning objects, learning object repositories, and learning theory: preliminary best practices for online courses. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects, 1. Retrieved from http://www.ijello.org/Volume1/v1p217-228Nash.pdf