OpenCourseWare is a concept that has become increasingly popular in the last decade. Beginning in 1999, universities began to offer course materials for free over the internet.
Although taking advantage of these materials does not usually allow for users to receive degrees or certificates or access faculty members, it does help in spreading knowledge and information to people that normally wouldn’t have access to such wisdom.
If you are interesting in accessing some OpenCourseWare materials, you can check out some of MIT’s available content.
Although the concept may be relatively new, based on an infographic (posted below) recently published by OnlineCollegeCourses.com, it is evident that the use of OpenCourseWare is increasingly popular throughout the world.
Infographic Highlights:
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Since 1984, college tuition fees have increased more than:
- Medical Care
- The Consumer Price Index
- The Median Family Income
- 75% of Americans believe college tuition is too expensive.
- College tuition is consuming a higher percentage of family income each year.
- Nearly 60% of OpenCourseWare users are from outside the United States.
- There are currently over 100 million OpenCourseWare students.
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Many prestigious universities participate in OpenCourseWare:
- MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Oxford
