Open and online learning is in the headlines like never before, and this is drawing new audiences to explore online learning resources.  For many of these people—who may have had only a passing familiarity with the concept of OpenCourseWare—the breadth, depth and vitality of the global OpenCourseWare movement may come as a surprise.

The OpenCourseWare Consortium includes hundreds of member universities around the world, with active regional consortia in many areas.  New OpenCourseWare sites continue to launch, fulfilling the vision of OCW as a true cultural exchange.  The most recent site to launch comes from International Christian University in Japan.  Here’s how they describe the effort on the site:

ICU has joined the Japan Open Courseware Consortium, and seeks to follow the model pioneered by MIT in seeking to create “a free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world.” This free and open access to knowledge reflects ICU’s strong commitment to a liberal arts education. In opening ICU courses to the worldwide community, ICU aims to share its attempts to deal with many of the complex issues confronting the world today.  ICU hopes that these courses will stimulate creative and critical thinking among all those who are eager to learn.
Read press release on the OCWC site.

We congratulate the ICU team on the launch of their site.  To view courses by other Consortium members, visit the OCW Consortium website.