Free Open Courseware

There is a new move among educational providers to make their programs available via "open" courseware and to provide "open enrollment". Open Courseware is the provision of an academic course, free to anyone with access, for use in learning. There is no explicit 'credit' earned nor granted through the use of open courseware, but it is a highly viable means of finding a pre-made course of study on a wide variety of topics.

Often the courseware is at the university study level, which can further your child's education beyond what they would obtain through ordinary high school classes. Since open courseware is used by the student at his own pace, it is ideal for self-motivated students to use in the home-learning environment.

You can find a variety of courses by searching for them at the "Open Courseware Finder" (http://ocwfinder.com/). Through the finder, you will find a wide range of available classes offered through institutions such as:

Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Tufts University
Utah State University

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In using Open Courseware, you simply download the syllabus, and obtain the text(s) and/or resources required for the course. When you have the materials, you follow the syllabus, using a similar progression of learning. Some courses include sample exams, and assignments that you will have to grade yourself. This is a small inconvenience in relation to having the pre-made course available for free.

A second initiative undertaken recently is a trend towards "Open Enrollment" at the university level. Open enrollment permits any student who wishes to study at a higher academic level to enroll in university provided courses. It is simply assumed a student is qualified enough to be taking the class.

It wouldn't be wise to enroll your child in a university class simply because you can, if he is not prepared for that level of study. Open enrollment universities are just as rigorous as those requiring an application process, so your student can fail just as easily at an open university as he could at a closed one. Therefore, if your child appears ready to attempt college level exams, I'd recommend careful consideration of factors that will determine his success in college. (continued below..)

Areas of preparation you'll need to consider before enrolling in an Open University are:

Is your student advanced enough academically? One way you can assess this is by having your child take either the ACT or SAT college entrance exam and seeing if he generally scores at a level required for admission by most 'closed' universities. Aside from testing, covering most 'usual' college prep material until a reasonable level of understanding is achieved would be advisable.
Does your child know how to write a college essay or research paper of adequate quality for a passing grade? Many students do not have the necessary foundation to succeed in the heavy writing environment in most universities. If your student lacks these skills, I'd suggest investing in the Student Writing Intensive (SWI) (at a minimum) from the Institute for Excellence in Writing prior to enrolling in any university level class. The SWI course was designed as a 10-hour weekend seminar with DVDs, so your child CAN go through this program relatively quickly, if needed. It is recommended on a slower schedule for mastery purposes, so given the time, you might want to go through the course over a few weeks.
Does your child have the initiative and desire to work on university level classes? Whether "open" or not, work at the college level is recorded and will count towards a child's overall degree progress and GPA. If a child is not motivated to work at the level required for a decent grade in a university course, it might be better to wait or not attempt this route. You would not want a child to 'ruin' his GPA because he is too young and/or unmotivated to do well in the class. Thus, it is not advisable to 'force' a child into university level classes if he does not feel prepared or doesn't want to work that hard.

You can find listings of Open Universities at these locations:

Wikipedia Category: Open Universities
WikiEducator listing (very similar to Wikipedia)
Open Universities Australia
Peterson's Guide (Search for US Colleges with Open Enrollment)
Fulbright - More info than you can possibly digest! (not specifically OE)
Check your local Community Colleges - MANY CCs are "Open Enrollment"

GOOD LUCK, and happy learning!

Open Courseware & Open Admissions

Open Courseware &
Open Admissions