I’ve written a couple of times about the increasing burden of textbook prices and the role of advanced technology in education. While technology is showing great promise in reducing the costs of course materials, revolutionizing teaching and learning also requires evolution in the process of innovation. Creative Commons is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding the legal foundation of creative works and sharing through free licenses. The licenses allow creators freedom over particular rights they wish to share for others’ benefits or withhold for private use. This facilitates a multi-directional flow of information, allowing people to more easily build off of the work of others and spur greater innovation. As opposed to standard copyrights (in which all rights are reserved for the creator), Creative Commons (CC) falls more under the copyleft movement. In general, copyleft refers to methods or processes for making programs, other works, or particular aspects of these works free.
Connexions is a perfect example of the CC license at work in the field of education. A global repository of educational content, Connexions offers content broken down into small chunks (modules) that can be linked together and arranged in different ways. The material is accessible for everyone, from children to college students to professionals. Authors can continually update their work, and develop others’ (with their permission), making it a dynamic system.
The educational content under Connexions includes hundreds of modules in the fields of mathematics, social sciences, arts, business, and more. This content has nearly unrivaled flexibility and adaptability for a variety of learning contexts. For example, Catherine Schmidt-Jones has developed open source music theory resources that have been used by students and teachers not only in the U.S. but also in Mongolia. Another great example is a module on electrical engineering which is available in English and Spanish. In fact, according to Cable Green of the SBCTC, the Spanish version has received as many hits as the English version, possibly more.
Online resources have the potential to offer substantial savings for both students and the state. Lower textbook costs mean a reduction in student debt and lighter burden on the state for financial aid (or on the flip side, freeing up more aid for others). In a conservative estimate by Cable Green and State Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36th), a $750,000 investment to redesign 50 of the highest enrolled courses in the Community and Technical Colleges to include open educational resources would yield a $16.4 million savings. If that’s not deal, I don’t know what is.
