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Open Courses: The Next big Thing in eLearning?
Kaido Kikkas 1, 2 , Mart Laanpere 2 and Hans Põldoja 2
1 Estonian Information Technology College, Tallinn, Estonia
2 Institute of Informatics, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
kaido.kikkas@itcollege.ee
mart.laanpere@tlu.ee
hans.poldoja@tlu.ee
Abstract: During the last 15 years, eLearning has undergone a number of changes regarding openness of the
learning environment, learning resources as well as the process of teaching and learning. After the initial period,
when eLearning used mostly the tools of 'ordinary' Web, the first-generation of eLearning emerged – large,
mostly proprietary environments which firmly separated the chosen (students and tutors) from the 'barbarians at
the gates' (the rest of the Internet) by using accounts and passwords. The tools themselves were shaped by
creators, not users – due to closed source and restrictive licenses. WebCT and early Blackboard were prime
examples of this generation. The second generation of eLearning rode the wave of free and open-source
software, bringing along a much greater variety of tools as the environments became open for modifications (e.g.
Moodle, Ilias). This generation also emerged along with the rise of open content (powered by free licenses like
the Creative Commons family) which in turn established the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement,
examples of which are Connexions, LeMill, MIT OpenCourseWare and others. We propose that the emergence
of Personal Learning Environments combined with collaborative wikis signify the next stage of eLearning. Open
in both the environment and the process, it facilitates a more flexible and also more challenging model of
learning. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) represent the radical conception of openness in eLearning, as
all MOOC courses are open for enrolment for any Internet user. We started to use Wikiversity and personal blogbased
learning environments in 2008. This paper provides a summary of our experience with teaching 18 open
courses in 2008-2011, with more than 560 enrolled students. We analyse the design, learning process and
learning outcomes of these open courses using the knowledge building theory by Bereiter as our main frame of
reference and the framework analysis of the courses.
Keywords: open courses, personal learning environment, wiki, blog
1. eLearning: a glance on history
During the last 15 years, the mainstream practices of eLearning have undergone a number of
changes with regard to openness of the learning environment, learning resources as well as the
process of teaching and learning.
Leinonen (2005) sees the main phases of using computers in learning. Various other authors have
suggested slightly different versions of the timeline, but it seems to be rather close to the current
consensus. However, one of the main roots of eLearning – an orderly, top-down approach rather than
a distributed, community-based activity – is clearly visible here. This is likely the reason why the first-
generation eLearning systems shared the same mindset.
Thus after the initial starting period, when eLearning used mostly the tools of 'ordinary' Web, the firstgeneration
eLearning emerged – large, mostly commercial and proprietary environments which firmly
separated the chosen (students and tutors) from the 'barbarians at the gates' (the rest of the Internet)
by using accounts and passwords. The tools themselves were shaped by creators, not users – due to
closed source and restrictive licenses. The popular learning management systems (LMS) like WebCT
and early Blackboard were prime examples of this generation.
As Leinonen (2005) points out, these early systems inherited the mindset of the previous, computer-
based training phase – the same top-down, teacher-to-student, low-interaction approach. Even
though the later LMS's became more aware that learning requires social activities among the learners
themselves and the learner and the teachers, these were often added as an afterthought.
As first pointed out by David Wiley in 1998 (OECD 2007), the second generation of eLearning rode
the wave of free and open-source software (FOSS). Wiley concluded that a lot of principles that
applied to software were also applicable to other online content, resulting in the birth of the first free
content license in OPL (Open Publication License) and the subsequent Open Content movement
which in turn gave rise to the wider Free Culture movement as described by Lessig (2004).
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