This will be a panel (of one) discussion about the challenges and rewards of making an open source LMS the university’s enterprise LMS. I’ll share the dilemmas and the rewards of dealing with early adopters, non- adopters, skeptical administrators, realizing a true cost savings, integrating with other enterprise systems, and generating enthusiasm versus managing expectations. Bring your questions and concerns and we will share mistakes and successes so other open source enthusiasts can find even greater success in their efforts.

Slides for Presentation

Although Weber State has been using the Blackboard/WebCT LMS for the
last six years, it has also been investigating the promise of open
source learning management systems. Weber’s rationales for deploying
an open source LMS will be outlined, and the strategies and challenges
that Weber has faced in pursuing open source will be discussed.
Participants will be invited to share their own experiences and
concerns with open source learning management systems.

Objectives of the presentation (what are you planning to do)

A case study of how open source LMSs are being deployed (and evaluated) at Weber State University.

Practical Applications (how can your results/strategies be used by others)

Consider some of the merits and demerits of open source learning management systems.

Bio

Luke Fernandez is Assistant Manager of Program and Technology Development at Weber State University. On the side he writes articles on university IT issues and teaches adjunct courses in a number of learning management systems. His blog is at http://itintheuniversity.blogspot.com

* Purpose of presentation (why is this important and who is the target audience)

The purpose of this presentation is to familiarize conference attendees with the “open education” movement, which draws inspiration from the “right to education” and “open source software” movements. The topic is important because the idea of openness is already affecting the way teaching and learning occur at hundreds of universities throughout the world, though only a handful of US universities are participating. The target audience includes teaching faculty, policy makers, and instructional designers.

* Objectives of the presentation (what are you planning to do)

- Provide an overview of open education, including the Cape Town Declaration on Open Education and NIH Open Access Mandate
- Take a tour of representative open education projects
- Explain the relationship of open education to copyright and intellectual property
- Discuss how to leverage openness to improve your own courses by reviewing example courses

* Practical applications (how can your results/strategies be used by others)

Attendees will come away with immediately implementable strategies for improving their own classes, as well as ideas for updating organizational policy to be more forward-looking and, to the degree possible, future proof.

* Relationship to the conference theme

The open education movement relies heavily on both “high technology” and “low technology” to reach its teaching and learning goals.

* Information (data or theoretical base) to support what is advocated.

The presentation will draw on statistics and reports from UNESCO, the OECD, the European OLCOS project, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and other literature, as well as the presenter’s expertise.

2nd-Day Hands On: How To Create “Open” Educational Experiences
Learn where to find open educational resources and free online services for using them to improve your students’ learning experiences.

Biography
David Wiley is Associate Professor of Instructional Technology at Utah State University and Director of the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning. He has previously been a Nonresident Fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School and a Visiting Scholar at the Open University of the Netherlands, and is a recipient of the US National Science Foundation’s CAREER grant. His career is dedicated to increasing access to educational opportunity for everyone around the world.