First Education News

Higher education is going through a period of massive transition. Many educational upstarts and non-traditional institutions are beginning to sense market opportunities that didn’t exist before.

Open source refers to both the concept and practice of making program source code openly available. Users and developers have access to the core designing functionalities that enable them to modify or add features to the source code and redistribute it. Extensive collaboration and circulation are central to the open source movement.

open source definition

Unrestricted distribution. Users can distribute or sell the software without paying royalties.

Source code distribution. The source code of the entire open source product must be easily modifiable. In the absence of the source code, the product must cite a low-cost resource where users can obtain it.

Modifications. The license allows modifications, and its terms remain unchanged for distribution of improved

versions. Author’s source code integrity. If the license allows patch file distribution along with the original source code, a user cannot modify the code and distribute it2 except by giving the new version a new name.

No personal discrimination. No person or group shall be discriminated against during open source product distribution.No restriction on application. Open source software can be used in any field and for any purpose.

License distribution. The privileges attached to the original program extend to all who receive the program, so recipients do not need to apply for a separate license.

License must not be product-specific. The rights associated with a license extend to products extracted from a larger software aggregate.No restriction on other software. No restrictions are allowed on distribution of open source products bundled with products developed on other software platforms.

Technology neutrality. Licenses should not be issued on the basis of the specific technology involved.

Open Source and Its Impact on Learning

As college administrators strive to strike a balance between resources and requirements, open source e-learning software has emerged as a viable solution. Many universities have opted for open source learning management systems, in particular. Advantages that have tipped the balance toward open source include the following:

The absence of a license fee. Most universities annually pay large sums to software companies to use their products, but open source licenses are free.

Flexibility. Open source products are customization and can involve third parties. New features and tools can be imported from the open source community.

Service continuity. The huge collaborative network of the open source community minimizes, although it does not eliminate, the risk of discontinued service. Volunteer help is available through open source support

systems such as forums.

Continuous improvement. Extensive collaboration ensures that software products keep improving. Programmers from different institutions and organizations, along with volunteers, contribute freely to projects.

Few of Open source resources are available from the following initiatives:

Curriki, the Global Education and Learning Community, is a nonprofit body dedicated to the creation of free, open source curricula for all users and one of the most popular OSC online resources. Curriki provides course materials for primary and secondary education, primarily focusing on the creation of complete curricula for courses distributed and used globally.

Connexions is a pioneering venture set apart from other open-education resources by its scope. The site provides instructional material for primary, secondary, and posts econdary levels, as well as the industrial sector. Contributions are invited from all segments of society. The materials are available in different languages, and users from all over the world can download, customize, and reload them. Authors get credit for their contributions.

MIT OpenCourseWare makes undergraduate and graduate course materials from MIT available on the Internet. This initiative has not damaged the university’s reputation but instead has encouraged other institutions to publish their courses online as well.

Companies like Campusone Education Solutions Pvt. Ltd Promotes the use of open source content in primary and secondary education.  In India the concept of open source is new and awareness level is very low,