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Delft OpenCourseWareFrom repository to community: results and follow-up of the pilot phase of the TU Delft OpenCourseWare project.

OpenEd 2008 conference, Logan 24-26 September 2008

Willem van Valkenburg, E-learning consultant, ICT Department Anka Mulder, Director Education and Student Affairs

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What we will cover

• A few words about Delft University of Technology

• The pilot phase (2007/2008) • Set up• courses published• Workflow

• Evaluation of the pilot phase (ongoing)• Methodology • Preliminary Results

• Outline for the next phase (2008/2010): from repository to community.

• Broader context• Ambition & challenges: from repository to

community

98-07/ |

A few words about TU Delft

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TU Delft - Characteristics

• Excellent (international) ratings

• Driven by demands of society

• Focussed multi-disciplinary research themes

• High quality educational programes, with a focus on ICT in education

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TU Delft: Basic Data 2007

• Faculties: 8• Bachelor programmes: 14• Master programmes: 36• Total number of students: 15,000• International students: 2,100• Scientific staff: 2,600 • Number of PhD-theses per year: 250• Focal Multi-disciplinary Research Programs:

Energy, Health, Infrastructures, Environment.

TU Delft

www.tudelft.nl

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Example Student Project: World Solar Challenge

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Pilot Phase OCW-project: Characteristics• Start: May 2007

• Initiated by the central board• 6 pilots (MSc-programmes) on a voluntary basis:

• Micro-Electronics, Offshore Engineering, Drinking Water • Sustainable development, Nano science, Biomedical

Engineering • ‘Content centred’ model like MIT • Technical infrastructure: Hive (repository) and Typo3 (CMS)

• Close cooperation: Library, departments of ICT and

Education, pilots• Steering group headed by the rector magnificus• Basis for the future (technical, organisational, financial

implications, further growth)• Completed: September 2008

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Why this initiative (1)Board

Core tasks university is to deliver know-how and building knowledge networks in an international context.

• Way to improve quality of education

• Reputation/ branding

• Irreversible trend

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Why this initiative (2)6 Pilots (different motives)

• Reputation/Exposure/Visibility;• Additional contribution to knowledge networks;• Attracting new students and researchers

(clear picture of what TU Delft is doing);• Easy access (material is part of a joint degree);• Preparation for future students;• Opening up for new connections worldwide; • Investing in future learning and education

methods/basis for blended learning.

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WWW.OCW.TUDELFT.NL

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21 CoursesOffshore Engineering• Offshore Hydromechanics• Dredge Pumps and Slurry

Transport• Dredging Processes• Design of Dredging Equipment• Offshore Wind Farm Design• Offshore MooringsWatermanagement• Drinking water treatment

(Technology)• Drinking water treatment

(Design)• Public hygiene and epidemiology• Civil Engineering in Developing

CountriesNanoScience• Advanced Statistical Mechanics

Microelectronics• Methods and Algorithms for

System Design• Solar Cells• Digital Signal Processing• Advanced Device PhysicsBioMechatronics• BioMechatronics• Biomedical Engineering Design• System Identification and

Parameter EstimationSustainable Development• Technology and Global

Development• Technics and Future• Technology Dynamics and

Transition Management

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Pilot phase OpenCourseWare: Summary milestones

• May 2007: start project• October 2007: first 10 courses published• May 2008: Bureau OpenER in place• September 2008: 21 courses published• October 2008: proposal for second phase until

end of 2010 to board:

Key words: gradual growth (courses), more diversity, more functionalities to facilitate

different business models

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Results

• 21 courses haven been published (planning: 20)

• Bureau OpenER is in place (lean & mean)

• Workflow has been defined

• Technical infrastructure in place

• TU Delft (board) member of OCW Consortium

• Evaluation report (in progress): external recognition

Green light for the next phase

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License: Creative Commons 3.0: Attribution, Noncommercial, Share-alike http://creativecommons.org/license/

Workflow:

Workflow & licence for publishing

dansays, flickr

ContentLay-out

CooperateIdentity

Author rightsUpload content

Metadata

Staff member Bureau OpenER

Peer review Adjustments

Faculty/department

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Evaluation pilot phase: set up

• Google Analytics

• Feedback forms on the website

• Interviews with potential users: Lecturers from other institutesProspective studentsCompanies in the field of drinking water (public

sector), offshore engineering (like Shell) and Micro-Electronics (Philips, Texas Instruments)

(Evaluation report: ready in October 2008)

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Evaluation Aspects:

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Examples of interview questions (companies)• The initiative

What do you think of the initiative to make scientific information available for free to everyone?

• OCW-material Do you see ‘opening up’ this material as a competitive advantage for Holland? How applicable are the materials for you and your organization? In what way does your company need information? Do you see possibilities for a better adaptation of the OCW to the standards of business?

• The OCW-website Do you miss functionalities like the option to contact the researcher or professor to ask questions? Which specific points could be improved?

• Relationship with the TU DelftWhat incentives or possible barriers for the interaction / relation between the university and business community do you see? Would your company be willing to participate in the Delft OCW? In what way?

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Evaluation OCW: Provisional results (1)

Google Analytics

• October 2007 – May 2008 (first round of pilots): 28,000 visits from 23,000 unique visitors with different IP-addresses (100 visits per day average).

• Visitors from 169 countries / 4196 cities: significant geographical exposure of educational material.

• Note: There are more visitors because the material is also published at other websites of the faculties involved (data unfortunately not available).

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Evaluation OCW: Provisional Results (2)

General

• High appreciation of the initiative;

• Vey positive about the quality of the content; TU Delft ‘signature’ is important;

• Clear website structure

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Evaluation OCW: Provisional results (3)

Interviewees recommendations

• More information for users about the entrance level required to understand the resources

• Increase interactivity, communication, context and ‘search & link’ functionality

• Create ‘depository’ where users (companies) can upload and publish their own material

• Facilitate communities

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Evaluation OCW: Provisional results (4)

Questions from external users:

• Updates?

• What is the business model? Make clear in what way users can contribute or interact with the university.

• Services around OCW?

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Where do we go from here? General:• TU Delft policy: not only open access of

educational materials:• All dissertations (full text);• Multi-media. Recently, a project has started for the

development of a multi-media portal for the disclosure of all streaming video (lecturers), digital cartographic material and historical collections;

• Open Access publishing in journals

• More materials are available in digital and new formats (games, VodCast). Tremendous growth in the use of streaming video. How do we make optimal uses of these developments?

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Where do we go from here? Challenges1. Sustainability: how to create (financial) incentives

for staff to publish educational materials?

2. Different motives: how to create a business model when departments have different motives to participate?

Examples of motives:• Drinking water: more international students, OCW will be

integrated in the blended learning modules• Nanoscience: reputation, more master students• Industrial Design: Open source design• Micro Electronics: collaboration with industries (sponsorships)

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Outline for the second phase until 2010

• Website: From repository to community• Sustainable business model for the publication of

courses• Include material for other target group• Editorial board • Growth number of publications • PhD-research on OER?• External Sponsorship?

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From repository to community: • Add website functionalities: who else used these

resources, others who used these resources also used the following documents, number of views, rating, discussion area..;

• Link to other university resources: DIScover (TU Library project to link all kinds of resources integrated in the OCW-website)

• User centered approach for the functional design of the website. Materials of the Open-Source Design project will serve as starting point;

• Depository: other people can add content;

• Additional services like customized support/courses, student projects;

• Communities for people who have shared interest.

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Website: from repository to community Starting points/next steps

Starting point

• Review of business models of other OCWC-members

• Discuss with pilots

Next steps

• Business model

• Create incentives for publication in university financial model

• External sponsorship to pay for project organisation

• Create paid services?

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Thesis

An OCW business model that relies on grants is not sustainable

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Thank You for Your Time

Questions?

Contact: OCW@TUDELFT.NL

OCW.TUDelft.nl