LIFELONG LEARNING 24-7

Professor Richley Crapo is delving into the mythology chapter from his definitive textbook on the anthropology of religion.

But you don’t have to be a registered student to listen to one of his lectures. Videotapes can be found at ocw.usu.edu with a syllabus and course summary. Crapo’s class is one of 50 USU general education classes now online for the benefit of anyone, anywhere in the world with a passion for lifelong learning.   

The free online courseware site was designed by USU instructional technology professor David Wiley and his staff and graduate students at the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning in the College of Education and Human Services.

Some courses consist of syllabuses and lecture notes; others resemble Crapo’s but with fewer bells and whistles. Students on the verge of registering can obtain more information about a class than from the paper course catalog. Alumni can update their skills for job searches and professional development.

In addition to putting USU faculty online, Wiley and his staff have developed software for online courseware for other universities. The United Nations University is using their software for its international think tank of experts who are collaborating on global warming research, AIDs prevention, nutrition education and other challenging issues of our time. The Dutch Open University, and Notre Dame and MIT universities are also clients.

I-Shuan Warr of Herriman, Utah, was one of many web browsers who have emailed to express their approval. “USU open courseware restores my faith in humanity. In a world where there is such a focus on making money at any cost, it’s refreshing to find people who spend their time and energy to better the society they live in.” —Jane Koerner ’07Att