60+ Killer OCW Collections for Web Designers (Jessica Hupp)

• Link to 60+ OCW Collections for Web Designers
• Via Stephen Carson

2ND GENERATION OCW COLLECTIONS?
Stephen Carson (in his super OpenFiction blog!) talks about a 2nd generation type of OCW (OpenCourseWare) collection, which assembles a list of courses from various university OCWs into a curriculum. And then he shares with us a great example...

OCW COLLECTION FOR WEB DESIGNERS
Jessica Hupp has managed to compile and organize an amazing collection of OCW for web designers. Click here to enjoy more than 60 OCW, covering everything from design theory to Internet culture!

Here are a few gems that caught my attention:

• Information Visualization: Consider space, order, focus, context, and more in this course. [University of British Columbia]
• Art of Color: In this course, you’ll learn the basic principles of color in visual arts. [MIT]
• Algorithms for Computer Animation: Learn about the algorithms that make animations possible. [MIT]
• People-Centered Design: Consider how you can design for people with this course. [The Open University]
• Social Visualization: In this course, you’ll learn how to visualize people and their interactions. [MIT]
• Common Sense Reasoning for Interactive Application: Use this course to discover how you can use common sense knowledge in your design. [MIT]
• Networking Infrastructure for E-Commerce: Learn about the capabilities and limitations you’ll have to work with in e-commerce. [NC State]
• Communicating in Cyberspace: Take a look at digital communication with this course. [MIT]
• The Anthropology of Computing: Consider computers as meaningful tools for society and culture in this course. [MIT]
• The Future of the Internet: You’ll learn about Internet architecture as well as current issues like network neutrality. [Stanford]
• Foundations of American Cyber-Culture: Consider new media, demographics, open source, and lots more in this course. [Berkeley]
• Web 2.0: Get a good look at web 2.0 as it relates to users, online business models, and new technologies. [Weber State University]
• A New Era?: This course takes on the new economy and innovation. [The Open University]
• Search Engines: Technology, Society and Business: Get an introduction to search engines, intellectual property in searches, advertising, spam, and more. [Berkeley]

Please, check out the rest if you have time! It is simply an amazing list of web design related courses. Coming to think of it, if you actually study all these courses, you should be certified with a Masters of Web Design (Certificate of Attendance!).

3RD GENERATION OCW COLLECTIONS?
A 3rd generation type of OCW collection, assembles a list of individual learning resources (e.g. audio/video lectures) for a specific course (outline) from various OCWs around the world (We used to call it 'Learning Objects' or 'LO', but I am not sure if this buzz word is dead!). Basically, lecturers (and students) explore, discover, collect and assemble what they consider to be the best learning resources found in OCW (or OER) collections around the world related to the negotiated course outline. The challenge will be to filter (resource overload!) and tailor (remix, mashup, synthesize, adapt, etc.) the assembled learning resources to the learners.

Lecturers still create certain portions of the course (missing links!), but their role is also to connect learners to great learning resources and people easily available (Isn't that how it was done in the old days? Though, a bit tougher without the computer, Internet, Browser and Google!). Also, lecturers should have the expertise to filter the good from the bad and nasty! If something is really great and available for free, why not use it to facilitate the learning process (Don't hide it!)! The bottom-line is not our ego or content ownership, but to ensure that learners have access to the best possible learning resources available. I am pretty sure that there are lecturers out there that are already creating amazing 3rd generation OCW collections for their courses. Now, are you doing it? Hmm, am I doing it?

With an open mind to OCW and OER collections, we can create and facilitate really amazing learning environments which are filled with great learning resources, engaging discussions and a lot of relevant and dynamic learning activities. Think sharing! Think collaborating! Think networking! Think connecting! Think learning! Think possibilities :)