Higher education is very different than other sectors. It has its own processes and a different set of demands. Most commercial proprietary software vendors who develop their applications on a wider spread on fields. These scientists complain that creates a significant disconnect between software vendors and end users in the field of science.
To overcome these shortcomings, began training the search for "open source" as an alternative model. About a decadeback, the institutions have begun to discuss the total cost of ownership in adopting the open source community-based approach to proprietary applications, the viability of open source based business models, sustainability and security.
Successful development of open-source community, software is fairly well defined. Linux and Apache are ample evidence of its success. A similar trend, although not widespread, which may, in its scope, the development of joint projects can be monitoredThe formation of Moodle and Sakai.
Through the course of their years of training, the open source approach to education has developed several alternative models. Some of these advanced models and schools of thought and has been successfully implemented within a clear range of capacity on the market. Progress and success in open-source projects like Sakai, Moodle, Kuali, uPortal, Shibboleth, and many others will be watching closely followed by industry.
Community SourceModel
One school of thought believes that the open-source sharing more than a philosophical approach as a viable alternative. The use of open source in higher education seems to suggest otherwise. FLOSS (Free / Libre and Open Source Software) and communities to thrive in an environment of learning.
The RAFT model was to be widely used in initiatives such as MIT OpenCourseWare and Open Source Biology. Project Gutenberg, Wikipedia, The Open Dictionary First DraftExamples of how open source has been adapted successfully to the educational initiatives.
In a community-source project, which brings together the various institutions of the project partners. All partners both financially and in terms of employment of human resources for the effort. Nelle prime fasi del partenariato possono fornire tutte le attività di progettazione e sviluppo, e solo nelle successive fasi del progetto sarà aperto alla più ampia comunità. In this way, the initial support is secured and theThe institutions have a major influence in deciding how to model design and implementation.
The initial goal of the community source projects is the cooperation between the institutions. The focus in the crucial stages in the first place, therefore, shared a common form economic prospects and an appropriate administrative framework instead of forming a community around a code. Most community-based open-source projects slowly moving to open source in the later stages.
The Sakai Project, forFor instance, began as a joint effort of four institutions (Michigan, Indiana, Stanford and MIT). The original intention was to produce a framework of common objectives, the appropriate software from a list of agreed targets. The possibility of participation followed by formation of Sakai Educational Partners Program (SEPP), with other institutions to increase registration and participation of the community for a small fee.
The current landscape
A training companyAs every organization has its own needs, ranging from budget planning resources. They also have the typical requirements, such as the need to integrate with government funding to handle multiple billing cycles and student information systems (SIS), participation, quality, transcripts, student records and billing. All these call for robust ERP systems. Until recently, colleges and universities usually only forms of self-developed systems, which more than 15Years, or commercial products from vendors such as Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, or vendors such as SunGard, which pursues the goal of higher education changed market.
Kuali Financials was taken because of the lack of open source solutions for business applications in higher education are a mix of some proprietary software vendors, and some of the most important open source initiatives together. PeopleSoft, Oracle, SunGard, Datatel, and some of the major suppliers that offer theintegrated ERP package for the education sector.
Recent consolidation in the sector, such as the acquisition of PeopleSoft by Oracle, and WebCT, Angel, Blackboard, etc. has caused considerable unrest in the fraternity of education. The concern stems from the fear that the trend would lead to the consolidation of the monopoly of some important players. The plans of the manufacturer, a system closely integrated to ensure greater fear that this is an unfair advantage to the supplier, asextend the Community's dependence on them.
One aim of proprietary applications is to unplug a semblance between the industry and software developers. Institutions have strong reservations about the software currently available to management and systems management course. The feeling is that applications are manufactured by companies such as SAP and PeopleSoft are adapted from other areas and do not work well for the educational enterprise. Thesame kind of applications means that the source code is available and the considerable efforts of adjustment costs.
Within a broad spectrum of needs, open source can be a viable alternative. In fact, if these restrictions provided the impetus for open source initiatives in higher education. Some success has helped to form a solid basis for the development of an alternative model for support in education.
InSakai project participants decided to organizations to integrate and synchronize their educational software for pre-integrated collection of open-source tools called the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE). Sakai has implemented activity on various institutions including the University of Michigan and Indiana University.
In parallel, Sakai also a series of activities in the communities that have produced an active collaboration between industry and enforcementManufacturer. The Sakai Educational Partners Program allows educational institutions to participate in the program for a small fee. There is also a Sakai Commercial Affiliates offer or for a fee-based services for installation, integration and support ..
Kuali, on the other hand, refers primarily to aspects of educational administration. The Kuali Financial System (KFS) is the most popular application. Manages administrative and operational activities such as general accounting, purchasing, payand benefits, budgeting, asset management and grants. The system is based on modules that tweaked to make other commercial applications work. For example, at Indiana University, working with the Kuali applications PeopleSoft HR and Student System. The Kuali foundation is a non-profit consortium of several universities and some companies of hardware and software. Kuali Commercial Affiliate Program works similarly to how his counterpart Sakai. TheCommunity has grown and now includes the University of California, Cornell, Michigan State University, San Joaquin Delta College (California), and the University of Arizona.
Significantly, according to the Campus Computing Survey 2008, approximately 13.8 percent of respondents already have an Open Source LMS - Moodle or Sakai identified or - as the campus standard LMS.
Besides these many other projects, SIS will function. For example, students managed openSISdemographic development, planning, attendance, grades, records, records, and health, and its parent company makes add-on modules for additional functionality, such as disciplinary proceedings, monitoring, accounting support, food service, and bulk -SMS / mail for the emergency contact.
Other intiaitives are key
Community JaSig develop uPortal and CAS (Central Authentication Services), two components as inputs for Kuali Rice.
Internet2 - a consortium of universities, in partnership with LEDIndustry and government to develop and deploy advanced network applications and technologies, including products such as Shibboleth and Grouper
Open Source Curricula
As with any source "open" the activity, curriculum open source is by definition one that can be used freely be distributed and modified. To be a model of how this seemingly contradictory, the concept of higher education, affecting the credibility of the educational context. Campus Education shouldto serve as a methodology for structured learning. The concept of community collaboration with scientists and students on the same platform brings a lot of unpredictability in the scenario
However, municipalities FLOSS (Free / Libre Open Source software and proven) in education to be a success. An important principle of this method of learning has its roots in line with the experience more '. With the emphasis on learners and their preferences, this approach focuses learningmore on learning through collaboration, communication and exchange.
Major initiatives include the Connexions project at Rice University, the MIT OpenCourseWare project and social support learning name.
The RAFT approach in higher education is, in combination with the traditional teacher-centered approaches. The objectives of this approach FLOSS does not replace traditional methods, but the way people communicate and create synergies to provide students with a higher qualityLearning environment.
The wire-like education transfer report, published in September 2008 as part of the project FLOSSCOM, notes that the FLOSS community can create effective learning environments. The study also three different approaches that can be successful with traditional teaching approaches are combined to find.
Economic models of Open Source
One aspect that clearly show the adoption of open source software as a winner is the fact that in this scenario, theThe developers are usually also users of the software. Thus the perception among the community of developers and end user will be different in the case of particular proprietary applications. However, this is less evident in the case of administrative applications, such as payroll or HR. In such cases, the adoption of open source software in a direct process.
Initiatives have such as Kuali project to build and open-source can also develop sustainable models that proved appropriate supportMechanisms. In these models, there is active collaboration between the community, not just developers and end users, but also a group of extended support, made up from commercial suppliers. These support groups are available to provide timely support for mission critical applications. The Community approach also ensures that the code is not closed and that a community actively involved makes extensions as needed to keep going.
The projects were developed, such as uPortal,with minimum resources, but in hundreds of institutions. The EU approach has proven to be sustainable, as in the Sakai project. As regards funding, has received the Sakai project, an investment of 6.8 million U.S. dollars in two years.
The vitality of the open-source model is unclear from the monetary or cost considerations, but also the adaptability it offers. The debate over the costs of transferring ownership from commercially available proprietary software and openSource applications has not yet been demonstrated empirically. However, the fact that the code is open means that it can be easily adapted to meet the new requirements and may not have substantial investments in the form of adjustments or improvements. This means substantial economic sense to make the longer term.
The case for open source in higher education is well documented in a study by the Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness. In a 2005 survey report titled "Will Open Source SoftwareAn important concept for the future of higher education? Rob Abel noted that open source is a measure of "great for higher education." The study, based on an analysis of the average open-source projects in education, that the approach of the community is an interesting model, which also helps reduce risk by adopting an open-source approach.
As a model for costs, the study finds that open source has helped to generate cost savings in the range from 20 to 30 percent for thecommercial sector can not entirely true in education. The Community approach, the writer is, with its registration fees, may be only marginally positive in terms of cost. Institutions that can have its own infrastructure and resources, however, a significant reduction in the cost of its open source initiatives.
Future
Open source must be as flexible and reliable platform for cooperation and learning. In itsSearch for the ideal application to manage software administrative, operational and training platforms, most CIOs view of interoperability, reliability and scalability of applications. Applications like Sakai and Kuali have shown without doubt that open source applications offer great configurability.
Community development and support from commercial vendors, such as in the case of Kuali and Sakai, the fuel to a greater degree of innovation. Moreover, the advantage is that offered byThe cooperation also provides a boost to the continuous improvement of the system. Support systems and accessories that are guaranteed for future needs.
When asked how close or adopt an open source model, the answer would depend on the needs, infrastructure and resources available to an institution. The model of community development has shown that distributes the costs can be divided among the participants. Experience shows that universities and schools can work together to produceOpen-source software that provides for their needs in a way that is more than a few commercial products. The cooperative model allows educational institutions to their financial and technical resources pool. In addition, a larger community that applications are tested in a variety of test environments to ensure that it helps in the development of robust solutions.
During the period of the academic basis for developing learning systems to accommodate the formative evaluation and assessment outside of class.Many universities have taken the initiative of MIT and online teaching, which are accessible by anyone, for free. It 'was at Yale University, Notre Dame, Tufts, and Stanford School of engineering, has adopted, to name a few. The United Nations has an initiative that social media technologies and ideas to the opportunities of higher education for people who would not otherwise be used in a position to afford the cost of opportunities created.
Commercial, Open Source Projectshave taken their first steps on the market. The model is evolving with certain supports important commercial vendors. Community-based approach to open source to thrive, significant financial support is an absolute necessity in order to avoid the pitfalls that small and renamed result of this form of source code, and easily modified by another supplier avoided. From the standpoint of commercial projects like Sakai and Kuali foundation can thrive askey stakeholders from both the academic and business world.
What could derail further acquisition? There are several potential areas of risk:
Lack of understanding of points of entry for adoption
Lack of support for the adoption of resolutions
Low staff to support
Lack of training / documentary crew
An outlier "project" that consumes a lot, and then press developed a prejudice against the project
Many of these risks can be mitigated, even ifcooperative action between the bases of the development of open-source and the search for economic partners to support the solutions - and develop complementary solutions. Some examples:
Other conventional advertising, education is not related channels such as Google and the industry-based websites like edu1world
Furrther innovation and cooperation - through the "Chains Summer Code ', or a community that will transform the existing co listservsmore accessible forum
Trading partners, training and webinars
Trading Partner provides entry points into user-friendly, as the pre-installed server or virtual images that are downloaded and can be used out of the box
As a result, open source initiatives in higher education have a long way to go before entering the mainstream commercial market significantly. However, with the industrial and scientific cooperation, which has great potential to change higher educationLandscape in the longer term.
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