Or will openness go down in the history books as just another fad that couldn’t live up to its press?
If universities are starting to take slow steps towards interdisciplinarity- totally or partially- I would assume that in some way OER would have to be a part of that conversation.
However, it is almost always the case that these products are commercialized in such a way that access is restricted to those who are willing to pay for them a second time. Why should we be required to pay a second time for the thing we’ve already paid for?
This resonates with Robins comments about the library resources we pay half a mil to use each year. We already pay for the research through taxes... now we have to pay for it again?
Today, the cost of having a 250-page book transcribed by hand is about $250. The cost of printing that same book with a print-on-demand service is about $5. The cost of copying an online version of that same book (e.g., an ePub file) is about $0.0008. The cost of shipping either the handwritten or printed book is about $5. The cost of distributing an electronic copy of the book over the Internet is approximately $0.0007.
How can we possibly call this learning when these are the additional expenses? I cannot afford to buy textbooks. I especially dislike when the only required text in the course is written by the teacher, and it's a requirement that you buy it. As if I wasn't already being robbed by the Uni, now my professors feel that they can reach into my pockets too. Learning from one book, written by one person is not comprehensive learning!
The disciplines, where we find a wealth of specific knowledge, are the building blocks of Interdisciplinary Studies.
It's important to remember that disciplines are not our enemies in IDS but instead our building blocks!
Charles Eliot (21st president of Harvard) gave a speech stating that there is no best method or focus for learning, therefore Harvard will have them all.
This is an important mindset for an interdisciplinary institution.
The “digital facelift” helped higher education deny both the needs and the opportunities emerging with this new medium.
I think more educators need to understand that with a digital facelift come these emerging opportunities to help their students!
The medium is the message.
In my communications class, we learned that McLuhan also said, "the medium is that massage" as in it gives us a comforting and relaxing feeling. An "ahhhh" moment.
And then – contrary to what happens at most schools, where a student’s work exists only inside a learning management system and cannot be accessed once the semester is over – the domain and all its content are the student’s to take with them. It is, after all, their education, their intellectual development, their work.
This is truly one of my favorite parts of learning through IDS. I've tried harder on my blog posts because I know they have the potential to reach others in my field. It makes more sense for my education to put my work out there than to submit it on moodle. Another great part is that I can read my peers work and see all the cool things they're working on in their own field. #PlymouthIDS #IDSSem