"OCW was inspired by the belief that it will advance human knowledge, creativity and social welfare. The movement is based on the notion that knowledge and education should be open and freely shared," explains Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D., dean of continuing education at University of California, Irvine. "We are proud to be a part of the open educational resources community by fostering the growth of open courseware, and pleased to have been recognized as a global leader at the forefront of this important movement."
The Education-Portal.com article, titled "Universities with the Best Free Online Courses," recognizes UC Irvine's OCW initiative along with nine other respected higher education providers, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley. UC Irvine distinguishes its OCW initiative by implementing a rigorous definition of what a "course" is: A fully designed and complete learning experience with reading materials, lecture notes, course assignments and exams, linked by a narrative thread, and created by university-approved instructors chosen for their formal education, teaching ability and professional experience. Many of UC Irvine's OCW courses are designed with a level of interactivity that provides a diagnostic measure and an ability to focus an individual's specific needs -- identifying gaps in knowledge and then focusing on content that can close those gaps. Other courses featured on the university's OCW Web site are the same professional development courses offered for credit in instructor-led formats at UC Irvine Extension.
Aimed at working professionals seeking to enhance their personal knowledge or advance in their current field, UC Irvine's OCW initiative offers the chance to learn and experiment with university-level instruction in any subject without the barriers of cost, time or place. Through partnerships with other higher education institutions, as well as foundations, nonprofits and interest groups, UC Irvine has the ability to customize its offerings to suit the changing needs of many different groups of learners, from K-12 teachers seeking to gain certification to teach science and math, to individuals seeking to better manage their finances. The potential for growth and service in UC Irvine's OCW portfolio is limitless; and its quality increasingly recognized as leading in the OER movement.
To view the full Education-Portal.com news story, visit: http://education-portal.com/articles/Universities_with_the_Best_Free_Online_Courses.html.
For more information about UC Irvine's OCW initiative, visit http://ocw.uci.edu or contact Larry Cooperman at ljcooper@uci.edu.
About Education-Portal: Education-portal.com is a resource hub for students and working professionals to research career paths, degree programs, and schools within their chosen disciplines. The site was created by a dedicated team of experts including educators, librarians, college counselors, career counselors, and journalists to provide practical information in both written and video formats. The site currently features more than 20,000 original articles and videos. Education-Portal remains independent in its research and neutral in all of its content and information. It has become a premiere source for authoritative, non-biased higher education and career planning web content. For more information, visit www.education-portal.com.
About UC Irvine's OpenCourseWare Initiative: The University of California, Irvine was the first University of California campus -- and West Coast university -- to join the OCW Consortium. UC Irvine's membership in the OCW Consortium is consistent with its public- and land-grant missions and its desire to play a significant role in contributing to the social welfare of the state, the nation and the world. Open educational resources (OER) showcase the University's high quality education and makes courses and course materials free for everyone in the world. UC Irvine's OCW is a large-scale, Web-based resource that houses educational assets that are discoverable, searchable, modifiable and, best of all, free and easily available. Through the OCW Movement, UC Irvine provides university-quality courses and learning assets to populations of self learners that are underserved and in many cases, unable to participate in formal education at a university. This site also offers access to UC Irvine's online continuing education offerings. For more information about UC Irvine's OCW initiative, visit http://ocw.uci.edu or e-mail ocw@unx.uci.edu.
About UC Irvine Extension: As the continuing education arm of UCI, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. For more information, please visit www.extension.uci.edu.
About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.