Educators and learners around the world benefit from access to OpenCourseWare (OCW), and universities participating in the OpenCourseWare Consortium believe providing global access to knowledge connects fundamentally with their institutional missions. Institutions sharing their content through OCW projects have also discovered benefits for their own campuses as well.
Global benefits
Advances knowledge by unlocking information for the benefit of all
Provides open access to high-quality educational content to educators and learners for whom the materials can make the most difference
Provides a model demonstrating the value of openness
Institutional benefits
Builds global awareness of your institution's unique educational approach and curriculum
Improves recruitment by helping the right students find the right programs at your institution
Provides a resource for your students, faculty and alumni that supports learning and collaboration
Faculty benefits
Builds awareness of your unique contributions to your field
Fosters connections with colleagues around the world
Preserves a record of teaching innovations and allows others to build upon them
If you believe an OCW project is a good fit for your institution but do not know where to start, the OpenCourseWare Consortium provides resources to help, including the How To information on this site.
Find out "How To" OCW
We are currently working on expanding our How To information to create resourceful "toolkits" to assist members in their OCW projects. You can visit our Toolkit page here and you are welcome to collaborate in its development.
Helping students build 'the big picture'
Dr. Brett Shelton, faculty in Department of Instructional Technology at Utah State University
In addition to the institutional and learner benefits of OpenCourseWare (OCW), many university faculty are also realizing material benefits from their participation in OCW. One such OCW participant is Dr. Brett Shelton, an assistant professor in the Department of Instructional Technology at Utah State University (USU), and executive director of the Creative Learning Environments Laboratory at USU. More...