| Article 26 of the Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to education." (United Nations, December 10, 1948).
Although this laudable United Nations’ statement was specifically talking about elementary education, many people support the extension of the notion to include a more cross-cultural and economically equitable solution to the distribution problem of higher education. To that end, many free online alternatives have surfaced in the last few years, due to the technology now available online – especially Web 2.0 technology, which dramatically and exponentially increases the speed, exposure, and amount of open courseware content on the World Wide Web.
It is entirely possible to be educated with often highly technical university content completely free of charge – of course, stirring in a little hard work and personal resourcefulness. Though some programs are degreed and some are not, the tens of thousands of students now seeking higher education online are evidence of its efficacy.
A New World of Education
Several economic factors have converged to make the prospect of a university undergraduate or post-graduate degree less accessible not only worldwide, but in the United States as well. Rising tuitions, federal and state budget cuts, poor job prospects, fewer tuition grants, parents who lose their jobs and therefore cannot pay their children’s tuition, and many other fiscal culprits come to mind. A July 2010 article in The Education Portal states that the economic downturn has contributed to a sharp decline in “young alumni” giving, an 11.9% drop from 2008 to 2009. The proposition of fewer job opportunities, coupled with higher student loans to repay, presents a conundrum for even the most spirited of alumni.
Hopeful students from the lower and middle classes have been severely and adversely affected, to be sure; but the sheer number of applicants (and often lack of availability of classes, creating the unfortunate five and six year plan college proposition) affect all socioeconomic levels when it comes to applying and paying for an undergraduate or post-graduate college education.
The extent to which socioeconomic factors brew a significant statistical change across multiple castes, coupled with the creation of grassroots technology, increases probability of a tangible paradigm shift. Advanced technology and global interconnectedness converge to present a new alternative to the brick-and-mortar institutional educational template.
The Internet Saves the Day
With the right productivity applications available on the web, free open courseware from well-respected universities is available not only to officially enrolled students but anyone worldwide with access to the Internet. A quick Google search for “free online education” will have the surfer’s head spinning, but quick links like iTunes University are a great start.
Moving way beyond free educational podcasting, free open courseware from established universities abounds.
Whether the student is interested in acquiring a degree (sometimes difficult to do with some of these programs, though many offer certificates for some coursework), or simply continuing his or her education for professional or personal reasons one class at a time, there are many sites available for interactive online learning. From the stay-at-home-mom philosopher, to the advanced-degree-seeking professional engineer, to the rural African subsistence farmer –alternative online education through interactive open courseware flourishes as a workable answer.
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