This study is focus on Opensource Opencourseware Prototype System (OOPS). The Opensource Opencourseware Prototype System was built by Mr. Lucifer Chu from 2004.This OOPS project recruit volunteer translators all over the world through internet to translate Opencourseware materials from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) into Chinese.This study is probing into the cause of the volunteers attend, indentity and contribution. This research is a qualitative case study, data sources were adopted include OOPS¡¦ archival information, volunteer¡¦s feedback, questionnaires from OOPS website. The study has the following conclusion after the ayalysis.OOPS offers a good way for the self-elarning person to get ride of the obestacle from English language in taiwan.At the same time it shows the indentity from the participator of OOPS. Keywords¡XMIT opencourseware,OOPS,Network Social Movement

This study examines perceived benefits and costs of instructors who contributed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare (OCW) project. While previous research has investigated the benefits and costs of OCW from the perspectives of the users and institution, the instructor's perspective is the focus of this qualitative case study. Instructors created the original educational content and would seem to have the most to lose by contributing to OCW. Data come from six years worth of surveys conducted by the evaluation team of the MIT OCW project, follow-up interviews with contributing MIT instructors, and a content analysis of written feedback comments received by the MIT OCW team. Findings include instructor benefits of: (1) improved reputation, (2) networking, (3) supplementary opportunities, (4) improved course content, (5) course feedback, (6) students accessing materials, and (7) working with the MIT OCW team; and instructor costs of: (1) damaged reputation, (2) loss of intellectual property rights, (3) requirement of extra resources, (4) realignment of individual professional goals, (5) public materials, and (6) working with the MIT OCW team.

This dissertation examines Utah resident views of incentives and disincentives for use of OpenCourseWare (OCW) and how they fit into the theoretical framework of perceived innovation attributes established by Rogers. Rogers identified five categories of perceived innovation attributes, which include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. A survey instrument was developed using attributes that emerged from a Delphi technique with input from experts in the OCW field. The survey instrument was sent to 753 (n = 753) random individuals between 18 and 64 years of age throughout Utah based on information obtained from Alseco Data Group, LLC. Results indicated that the greatest incentives for OCW use were (a) no cost for materials (M = 4.59, SD = .68), (b) having resources available at any time (M = 4.35, SD = .89), (c) pursuing in depth a topic that interests me (M = 4.24, SD = 0.93), (d) learning for personal knowledge or enjoyment (M = 4.22, SD = .93), and (e) materials in an OCW were fairly easy to access and find (M = 4.12, SD = .98). Results indicated that the greatest disincentives for OCW use were (a) there was no certificate or degree awarded (M = 3.28, SD = 1.54), (b) it did not cover my topic of interest in the depth I desired (M = 3.17, SD = 1.31), (c) lack of professional support provided by subject tutors or experts (M = 3.14, SD = 1.25), (d) lack of guidance provided by support specialists (M = 3.09, SD = 1.26), and (e) feeling the material was overwhelming (M = 3.06, SD = 1.31).

Based on the idea of broadening access to learning opportunities for all by means of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement has gained ground during the first years of the 21st Century while capturing the imagination of educators, university leaders, policy-makers and opinion leaders all over the globe. Drawing on socio-technical theories and adopting a case study research design, which involved the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, this thesis addresses the manifold tensions and paradoxes that may emerge out of the interplay between a highly predefined model of OER provision and the everyday realities and institutional contexts of different higher education settings. In particular, it focuses on the process of implementation by Spanish universities of OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiatives, a widely adopted model of OER provision that was originally devised at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By examining the enactment of technology as a situated phenomenon, this study sheds light on the roles that OCW initiatives play in relation to the strategic orientation of universities and how the actual involvement of scholars in the creation of this type of materials is often curbed by some entrenched institutional arrangements and prevailing academic cultures. The findings of this thesis have theoretical as well as practical implications, which suggest that the replication of models of OER provision outside the specific settings in which they were originally devised is a rather problematic endeavour. More generally, it supports the idea that the implementation of ICTs must be always accompanied by social structures that are mindful and respectful of local specificities and institutional arrangements. Another key conclusion is that, if universities are genuinely committed to broadening access to higher education opportunities and supporting participation in life-long learning by means of ICTs, it is crucial to understand the ways and extent to which OER initiatives can actually contribute to achieving such goals.

OOPS stands for Opensource Opencourseware Prototype System, a project sponsored by Fantasy Foundation. Aiming to benefit Chinese readers, this project recruit volunteer translators all over the world through internet to translate Opencourseware materials from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) into Chinese. This research was a qualitative case study conducted between 2004/2 ~ 2007/1. Multiple data sources were surveyed, including OOPS¡¦ online discussion forum, and archival information from OOPS website. Online archival data ranged from media reports, activity reports, e-newsletters, volunteer reports, survey summaries, and sub-group websites. Interviews with group leaders were also conducted. Evidence collected through these means were used to describe how OOPS employed the Internet to coordinate translation efforts and promote Opencourseware. In addition, this research applied Science of Complexity to explain the self organizing phenomenon within the network arisen from its participants. This research looked further into how Science of Complexity can clarify the organic process of a self organizing network going from simple to complex. This research found 1) the degree of openness in a collaborative knowledge network influenced its degree of self organization; 2) volunteer¡¦s willingness to participate was related to environment¡¦s fitness; 3) critical mass, diversity, variety, interaction and feedback promoted evolution; 4) a collaborative knowledge network¡¦s key to an organic expansion depended on participants¡¦ outgrowth and self organization; and 5) effective facilitation at the edge of chaos would foster new organization growth.

Since MIT launched the first OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative in 2002, responses from the academic community have ranged from exuberance to angst. Some institutions have been reluctant to adopt a program of open publishing because of concerns about long-term funding and possible adverse effects on paid enrollment. Money is an issue, forcing some organizations that initially created OCW programs to furlough them due to funding challenges. This study examined the cost of converting online distance learning courses to OCW, the impact of opening these courses on paid enrollments, and the long-term sustainability of OCW through the generation of new paid enrollments. As part of this study, Brigham Young University's Independent Study Program (BYU IS) converted three university and three high school courses to OCW. BYU IS provided an option for OCW users to pay regular tuition and enroll in the online course for credit. The average ongoing cost to convert BYU IS courses to OCW was $284.12 per university course and $1,172.71 per high school course. The six opened courses generated 13,795 visits and 445 total paid enrollments in four months. The profit margin on the paid enrollments OCW generated was calculated to be 3.81% for open publishing to be financially self-sustaining at BYU Independent Study.

The main purpose of this dissertation study is to provide policymakers, administrators, decision makers and key stakeholders in higher education with a research-based guidance about the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement in Turkey. More specifically, this study aims at determining main incentives and barriers for freely publishing course materials in Turkish Universities from faculty members