Open Courseware (MIT)

For the past 6 or 7 years, I have periodically used MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) to enhance my knowledge about specific topics or gain a better understanding of how to present material to an audience.  MIT debuted the concept of Open Courses in 2002 and currently offer over 2000 courses online.  Course material such as lecture notes, presentations, references, assigned readings, practice problems, tests, video, and audio files are available to the general public for their benefit.  In general, as stated on their website, the materials are designed to support a "dynamic classroom interaction" and people viewing and working through the classes will not receive credit (MIT, 2010).  In general, my impression of material offered is an extension of face-to-face (F2F) materials as the website states, enabling an individual to refresh or expand their current knowledge of a subject. 

For this particular analysis, I took a closer look at a course entitled "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Methods" which was originally conducted in 2008.  To provide full disclosure, I have previously worked with MIT's Lean Advancement Institute, including one of the instructors credited in the material.  The class provides video lectures available on YouTube and files available on iTunesU lasting approximately 30-45 minutes each,  lecture notes, exercises, and some supplemental materials. The course was analyzed against the following questions:

• Is the course designed for a distance learning environment?
• Are recommendations by Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek followed?
• Are there activities that maximize learning?

Based on my observations of the class, in addition to the About OCW web page information, the course is not designed for a distance learning environment, Simonson et al's recommendations are not followed, but there are activities which maximize learning for the learner, although some activities are best performed simultaneously by a group of people.  Oblinger and Hawkins (2006) make the distinction of providing course content online and creating a learning environment online.  "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma" provides content but does not create a learning environment to foster communication and collaboration.   Oblinger and Hawkins also ask the question, "If a course is simply the equivalent of its content, why are courses not defined by books rather than classrooms and faculty?"  This is the case for "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma", where the content and F2F learner/instructor interactions are made available to view, but no interaction for the distance learner exists.  Simonson et al (2009) also echo the same sentiments about posting content and not providing an avenue for interactivity.  They provide a term that has evolved from merely posting content online and considering it a course:  shovelware.

Simonson et al also list several recommendations for creating and teaching online courses.  Many of these recommendations revolve around teacher-learner interaction by keeping learners informed, testing learner's knowledge, applying adult learning principles, and defining course outcomes.  "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma" does provide learning outcomes from the modules presented, but lacks the instructor-learner interaction described in the book Teaching and Learning at a Distance.  Due to these items, the class analyzed would fall into a Cycle 1 type course.  Cycle 1 courses are courses which include basic technologies such as PowerPoint and video-taped lectures (Simonson et al, 2009).

However, one of the strengths of the course, even though it is classified as Cycle 1, is the activities and supplemental material provided to distance learners.  These activities can enhance the learning and understanding of the topics presented.  The activities are a type of simulation that bring to life the concepts the instructors are speaking about.  Morrison, Ross, and Kemp (2007) state that simulations work well in small group formats and promote active learning.  Some of the activities presented in "Introduction to Lean Six Sigma" can be performed alone and promote the type of deep, active learning Morrison, Ross, and Kemp's work details.

Overall, the course provides useful information and can help an individual looking to gain more knowledge of lean six sigma.  Even though the course was not designed for online or distance learning, it can help a self-paced, inquisitive individual learn more about the topic.  Having personally been involved in teaching a derivative of the course, as well as a student myself, it is a great reference and memory jogger of the actual course.  My conclusion is that the online course should not replace the actual F2F course as it stands today.


References

MIT OpenCourseWare. (no date).  Retrieved December 5, 2010 from http://ocw.mit.edu/about/

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., & Kemp, J. E. (2007). Designing effective instruction (5th ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Murman, E.,  McManus, H., Haggerty, A., and Weigel, A. (2008)  16.660 Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Methods, January IAP 2008. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), Accessed 05 Dec, 2010 from:  http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-660-introduction-to-lean-six-sigma-methods-january-iap-2008/ 

Oblinger, D. and Hawkins, B. (2006) The Myth About Online Course Development.  EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 1 (January/February 2006): 14–15.  Retrieved December 4, 2010 from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume41/TheMythaboutOnlineCourseDevelo/158037

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.