A conversation on TED.com: Create a central online repository where scholars can access up to date multimedia courses from premier universities around the world

Dan Grahn
Indianapolis, IN
United States

Research assitant - Student, Air Force Institute of Technology

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Create a central online repository where scholars can access up to date multimedia courses from premier universities around the world

I am proposing a professionally designed website, dedicated to free open access to undergraduate and postgraduate courses where anyone may view, download, share, and comment on multimedia presentations by premier academicians on their fields of expertise. This is being done on a small scale by many universities, but as of yet there is not a centralized website.

In doing so we would provide resources for students and teachers to enhance learning and research, in addition to providing continuing education for adults. Perhaps it could even be used to train new employees in a specific field.

Ideally there would be optional online examinations that would verify completion of the course and would allow students to achieve some sort of degree in different fields. Of course this degree would not be a traditional baccalaureate degree, but perhaps we could create some sort of open source lesser equivalent.

Ideas? Suggestions? I look forward to hearing from the community!

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Kjetil mjøs
- 0
Jun 5 2011: I have thought about something like this my self. It is really an excellent idea. It is really sad that a teacher can destroy a subject because they choose a teaching method you don't like. Having a website like that would be such a nice way to learn something from different approaches.
There is a website trying to make learning opensource http://cnx.org/
Julie Ann 10+
- +1
Jun 2 2011: About15 years ago I considered a system where a student would be able to pick their courses from any university in the world, complete the courses online, and be granted a degree either from one of the universities or from an international body. At that time, distance ed via the internet was still relatively new and my colleagues thought I was crazy. I still think it is a great idea so I say, go for it.
- Michael Roberts 10+
  - 0
  Jun 27 2011: Now, would those courses all be from one University or could you, say, take your first year at Harvard, your second and third from Oxford and your Final Year at UCLA??
  
  However, having partaken of several online, "distance" courses during my undergrad, I found them definitely wanting and a pale shadow in most cases of their in class counterparts...That, in my opinion, would be a critical aspect of online learning that i would love to tinker with.