Berkeley Gets Grants to Develop Open-Source Software for Online Lectures

The University of California at Berkeley is moving forward with its plan to create open-source software that would let colleges around the world easily post lectures from their most popular professors.

Originally called “Opencast,” the project – now called “Opencast Matterhorn” – received $1.5-million in grants from the Andrew W. Mellon and William and Flora Hewlett Foundations to begin developing software. The first version is scheduled to be released in July 2010, featuring a scheduling tool, software for uploading and encoding video and audio for distribution on iTunes and YouTube, an RSS generator, and a media player, says Adam Hochman, a product manager at Berkeley's Learning Systems Group.

Those interested in keeping up with the project can peruse wiki forums and sign up for e-mail lists on its Web site.

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Comments

1. itanewf - July 29, 2009 at 04:32 pm

Are they kidding! We all lknow the research that says lectures online do not work! And that says lectures are the least effective way to learn in general! This is a HUGE waist of $

2. mamakatephd - July 29, 2009 at 05:02 pm

Lectures have their place, just not as the only way to teach. You might as well say that teaching people to spell is a big WASTE of time, too! I personally look forward to seeing how this project develops, as the more online resources we have, the better.

3. itanewf - July 29, 2009 at 08:49 pm

Yes lectures do have a place... But is it online? and some would argue that teaching spelling is a waste of time. I still can't spell and I have more education then most! My point is that students do not use lectures online, that in research of student perception of online learning, lectures are a WASTE of time. Online learning requires a different set of tools and pedagogy that lectures do not provide. Even people like Coates (Generational learning styles)say that today's students require something different. Perhaps this is not the place for this argument...? More online resources sounds like a typical IT approach to education "access = education". It is not access but constructive application that people learn from.

4. davidhopcroft - July 30, 2009 at 05:24 am

The grant is also to promote distribution of video and audio material that could support lectures. Getting resources out using Open Source could reduce costs for students and make education affordable for more people. The quality of online courses depends on adequate quality control. Perhaps too many colleges do not regard that as important. Academic freedom should not be used as a shield for low quality online courses. This is a great idea and I hope it succeeds.

5. scottmarshall - July 30, 2009 at 08:14 am

Wondering if accessibility such as captioning will be included in the project. It'd be too bad to create so much potential with this tool only to have it exclude some people with disabilities (i.e. Deaf folks) and to not benefit others like English language learners as mcu as possible... --scott marshall at U of MN

6. rlpeterson - July 30, 2009 at 09:46 am

I'm a big fan of open source software, and I'll be interested to see what they release. However, if all this will be is "a scheduling tool, software for uploading and encoding video and audio for distribution on iTunes and YouTube, an RSS generator, and a media player" I fail to see the need. Well developed applications that do all of those things already exist, much of it open source. With $1.5 million in grants to develop this thing, it had better do something unique. I can already upload videos to YouTube.

7. etjatm - July 30, 2009 at 05:01 pm

How will this be different than Moodle?

8. 11272784 - August 07, 2009 at 06:30 pm

Lectures aren't the most effective way to teach online, but their shortcomings can be partly offset if they are put into a course platform with plenty of support material and an energetic online discussion forum. Otherwise, to mis-quote Victor McLaglen in the classic movie Fort Apache, "They're better than no class a-tall."