1.0
INTRODUCTION
The emergence of new technologies has led to increased interest in distance
education. E-mail, electronic bulletin boards, and interactive computer networks now
augment or replace mail carriers in delivering curricular materials, textbooks, and
examinations to distance learners. New transmission media capable of providing twoway, full-motion, real-time (live) interaction between the student and teacher are
increasingly replacing noninteractive, one-way systems. The MIT opencourseware
has taken that to a whole new dimension.
2.0
MIT OPENCOURSEWARE
MIT's OpenCourseWare is a free and open educational resource (OER) for educators,
students, and self-learners around the world. MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW)
supports MIT's mission to advance knowledge and education, and serve the world in
the 21st century. It is true to MIT's values of excellence, innovation, and leadership.
MIT OCW:

Is a publication of MIT course materials

Does not require any registration

Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity

Does not provide access to MIT faculty
MIT OpenCourseWare makes the teaching materials used in virtually all MIT
undergraduate and graduate courses available on the web, free of charge, to any user
anywhere in the world. It is not a degree-granting or credit-bearing initiative, but a
large-scale, web-based publication of MIT course materials. Users do not have to
register to access OpenCourseWare course materials. Educators are encouraged to
utilize the materials for curriculum development, and self-learners may draw upon the
materials for self-study or supplementary use.
As a free virtual educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around
the world, OCW advances knowledge and education everywhere the Internet is
available.
In the words of MIT President Susan Hockfield, “OpenCourseWare expresses, in an
immediate and far-reaching way, MIT's goal of advancing education around the
world. Through MIT OCW, educators and students everywhere can benefit from the
academic activities of our faculty and join a global learning community in which
knowledge and ideas are shared openly and freely for the benefit of all.”
2.1
HISTORY AND ACHIEVEMENTS
In 2002 MIT launched its OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative —an unprecedented
plan to use the World Wide Web to make the basic teaching materials for essentially
all of its 2,000 subjects available to anyone, at any time and in any place, free of
charge.
MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) to put all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and
graduate-level courses online, free and openly available to anyone, anywhere, by the
end of the year 2007. MIT OpenCourseWare can be considered as a large-scale, webbased publication of MIT course materials. The project was announced in October
2002. The initiative has encouraged a number of other institutions to make their
course materials available as open educational resources.
As of November 2007, over 1800 courses were available online. While a few of these
are limited to chronological reading lists and discussion topics, a majority provided
homework problems and exams (often with solutions) and lecture notes. Some
courses also include interactive web demonstrations in Java or Matlab, complete
textbooks written by MIT professors, and streaming video lectures.
OCW now stands as a new model for disseminating knowledge, serving as a sort of
"shared intellectual commons" available to educators and learners around the globe.
The accolades pour in from around the world. "Students need to know about this,"
says Kunle Adejumo, a student at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. "I couldn't
find the information I needed [for a metallurgical engineering course], so I went to
OCW."
"No one has to be lost in ignorance anymore all around the world," says Lorenzo
Parini, a user from Milan, Italy.
Shen Xin, an experienced engineer in Chengdu, China, was interested in the MBA
program at MIT's Sloan School of Management but did not have time to go to school.
He's studying online through OCW. "I am very happy to learn the MIT OCW
program and visit your web site," he says. "It is very useful."
As at April 2006, 1,285 sets of course material were available on the OCW web site at
http://ocw.mit.edu/. There have been nearly 20 million unique visits to MIT OCW
content since Oct. 1, 2003. In February alone, there was an average of more than
36,000 visits to the site daily.
"We're getting traffic from virtually every country on earth. From a very simple but
profound idea, OCW has grown into a global movement" now used daily by
thousands of people worldwide, according to Jon Paul Potts, communications
manager for OCW.
Visitors include educators elsewhere (17 percent), students everywhere (32 percent)
and a huge audience defined as "self learners" (49 percent).
The program has won numerous awards, including the 2005 Tech Museum of
Innovation Laureate, honouring the use of educational technology to solve global
problems, and the Computerworld Laureate, honouring OCW as the best IT education
initiative of 2004.
2.2
THE CREATION OF OCW
The Provost of MIT, Bob Brown had charged a committee of faculty, staff, and
alumni to define the role of information technology in MIT’s educational interactions
beyond the campus. The committee considered revenue-generating possibilities, but
found a conundrum: MIT is good at teaching the very best and brightest in an intense,
rigorous, fast-paced, hands-on manner. It was not obvious that they could, or should,
teach large numbers of different kinds of students distantly through information
technology.
On a pro bono basis, the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton provided crucial
findings to inform the Institute discussion. Succinctly summarized, their report said,
high-level university distance education is complex, very competitive, and unlikely to
make money. A committee on the decision finally made a recommendation to give all
basic teaching materials away on the web for free. This resolved the conundrum and
was absolutely consistent with MIT’s tradition of knowledge sharing and advancing
education beyond our campus.
In the 1950s and 1960s MIT launched the “engineering science revolution,” moving
away from “handbook” approaches to establish a strong scientific foundation for
engineering analysis, synthesis, and practice. Armed with lecture notes, problem sets,
examinations, experiments, and demonstrations, newly minted MIT PhDs spread this
approach across the country wherever they taught.
Therefore, the proposed use of the World Wide Web as a modern incarnation of the
same phenomenon only magnified many times over because the Web would allow
these concepts and approaches to be made available anywhere in the world, instantly,
and
2.3
independent
of
any
faculty
connections
to
MIT.
FUNDING
This project is jointly funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and MIT.
2.4
HOW TO USE THE MIT OPENCOURSEWARE
2.5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
The following examples illustrate some of the factors that influence distance
education and show the demand for distance learning opportunities.
1. In sub-Saharan African countries, there is a tremendous shortage of classrooms,
qualified teachers, and instructional materials. Distance education has the potential to
contribute to national reconstruction by providing economically feasible educational
opportunities to people in disparate geographic regions.
2. In response to rapid population growth and a high cost per capita for higher
education, China developed a national distance learning program for higher education
in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Because China could not afford to meet the higher
education needs of its expanding population, the government developed a national
radio and television university system.
3. Distance education has a long history in European countries. The continuation of
this tradition is evident in the vast array of programs offered by European Union
countries such as Spain and France. Enrolment in these programs was almost 23
million in 2000. France, for example, offers university-level distance education
through 22 offices within traditional universities. France is also a leader in providing
substantial opportunities for distance education training that does not lead to a
university degree.
Therefore the MIT OCW plays an advantageous role in:

Providing materials of high standards for students and educators all around the
world.

Eradicating ignorance to the best of its ability

Improving the standards of education around the world by aiding students and
lecturers with supplemented materials.

Reducing the cost of quality education

Removing the burden of providing classrooms, teachers etc and still provide
superior tutoring.

Gives the student exposure to world-class learning and tutoring without
travelling costs.
However, certain disadvantages exist. They are:

MIT OCW is only useful where there are consistent and affordable internet
facilities.

2.6
MIT OCW provides an MIT education without an MIT degree.
THE USEFULNESS FOR THE STUDENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND
THEIR LECTURERS
The Department of Architecture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
was established in 1865. It is the oldest architecture department in the United States
and is consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the U.S.
It is a place where the individual creativity of a student can be cultivated and nurtured
in a framework that is humanistically, socially, and environmentally responsible.
The Department offers degree programs in the areas of Architectural Design, Building
Technology, Design Technology, History, Theory and Criticism and the Visual Arts
This heritage of excellent courses by experienced lecturers (called faculty in MIT) is
made available for the student of architecture and other lecturers in any part of the
world to supplement their studies and lecture notes to one of the very highest
standards in the world.
Department of Architecture links
To visit the MIT Department of Architecture home page on the internet, go to:
http://architecture.mit.edu/
To review the MIT Department of Architecture curriculum, go to:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/resources/curriculum/index.htm#4
The following are the courses available from the MIT Department of Architecture
curriculum on the opencourseware
Available Courses
Undergraduate Courses
Course #
Course Title
Term
4.001J
CityScope: New Orleans
Spring 2007
4.101
Experiencing Architecture Studio
Spring 2003
4.104
Architectural Design: Intentions
Spring 2004
4.104
Architecture Studio: Intentions
Spring 2005
4.125
Architecture Studio: Building in
Landscapes
Fall 2002
4.125A
Architecture Studio: Building in
Landscapes
Fall 2005
4.125B
Architecture Studio: Building in
Landscapes
Fall 2005
4.170
Ecuador Workshop
Fall 2006
4.171
Ecuador Workshop
Fall 2006
4.183
Sustainable Design and Technology
Research Workshop
Spring 2004
4.191
Introduction to Integrated Design
Fall 2006
4.206
Introduction to Design Computing
Spring 2004
4.211J
The Once and Future City
Spring 2006
4.243J
Media Technology and City Design and
Development
Spring 2002
4.250J
Introduction to Urban Design and
Development
Spring 2006
4.296
Furniture Making
Spring 2005
4.301
Introduction to the Visual Arts
Spring 2007
4.302
BSAD Foundations in the Visual Arts
Fall 2003
4.322
Introduction to Sculpture
Fall 2003
4.341
Introduction to Photography
Fall 2002
4.351
Introduction to Video
Spring 2004
4.366
Advanced Projects in the Visual Arts:
Personal Narrative
Spring 2004
4.401
Introduction to Building Technology
Spring 2006
4.411
Building Technology Laboratory
Spring 2004
4.42J
Fundamentals of Energy in Buildings
Fall 2003
4.440
Basic Structural Theory
Spring 2003
4.493
Emergent Materials II
Spring 2005
4.500
Introduction to Design Computing
Spring 2006
4.501
Architectural Construction and
Computation
Fall 2005
4.520
Computational Design I: Theory and
Applications
Fall 2005
4.521
Computational Design I: Theory and
Applications
Fall 2005
4.602
Modern Art and Mass Culture
Spring 2004
4.608J
Topics in the Avant-Garde in Literature
and Cinema
Spring 2003
4.614
Religious Architecture and Islamic
Cultures
Fall 2002
4.615
The Architecture of Cairo
Spring 2002
4.651
20th Century Art
Fall 2002
4.A21
Stories Without Words: Photographing
Fall 2006
the First Year
Table 1: list of undergraduate courses available on the MIT opencourseware
Source: http://ocw.mit.edu
Graduate Courses
Course
#
4.107
Course Title
MArch Portfolio Seminar
Term
Fall 2003
4.123
Architectural Design, Level I: Perceptions and
Processes
Fall 2003
4.131
Architectural Design, Level II: Material
Essence: The Glass House
Fall 2003
4.131B Architectural Design, Level II: Material and
Tectonic Transformations: The Herreshoff
Museum
Fall 2003
4.132
Architecture Design, Level II: Cuba Studio
Spring 2004
4.143
Immaterial Limits: Process and Duration
Fall 2002
4.144
Architectural Design, Level II: New Orleans
Studio
Spring 2006
4.155B Architectural Design, Level III: A Student
Center for MIT
Fall 2004
4.163J
Urban Design Studio: Providence
Spring 2005
4.163J
Urban Design
Fall 2003
4.166
Beijing Urban Design Studio
Summer
2006
4.170
Ecuador Workshop
Fall 2006
4.171
The Space Between Workshop
Fall 2004
4.171
Ecuador Workshop
Fall 2006
4.173
Digital Mock-Up Workshop
Spring 2004
4.175
Case Studies in City Form
Fall 2005
4.181
Architectural Design Workshop - Rethinking
Office Development
Spring 2003
4.181
Architecture Design Workshop: Researching
User Demand for Innovative Offices
Fall 2002
4.183
Sustainable Design and Technology Research
Workshop
Spring 2004
4.184
Architectural Design Workshop: Collage Method and Form
Spring 2004
4.184
Architectural Design Workshops:
Computational Design for Housing
Spring 2002
4.185J
Beijing Urban Design Studio
Summer
2004
4.195
Special Problems in Architectural Design
Spring 2005
4.196
Architecture Design, Level II: Cuba Studio
Spring 2004
4.212
Design Fabrication
Spring 2003
4.213J
Advanced Seminar: Urban Nature and City
Design
Fall 2005
4.215J
Sensing Place: Photography as Inquiry
Spring 2006
4.215J
Sites in Sight: Photography as Inquiry
Fall 2003
4.220
Urban Housing: Paris, London, New York
Fall 2004
4.235J
Urban Design Politics
Spring 2003
4.240J
Urban Design Skills: Observing, Interpreting,
and Representing the City
Fall 2004
4.241J
Theory of City Form
Spring 2004
4.252J
Introduction to Urban Design and
Development
Fall 2006
4.255J
Site and Urban Systems Planning
Spring 2006
4.257J
Property Rights in Transition
Spring 2005
4.273
Introduction to Design Inquiry
Fall 2001
4.273
Introduction to Design Inquiry
Fall 2004
4.285
Research Topics in Architecture: CitizenFall 2002
Centered Design of Open Governance Systems
4.285
Power of Place: Media Technology, Youth,
and City Design and Development
Spring 2001
4.296
Furniture Making
Spring 2005
4.297
Special Problems in Architecture Studies
Fall 2000
4.303
Dialogue in Art, Architecture, and Urbanism
Fall 2003
4.303
The Production of Space: Art, Architecture and Fall 2006
Urbanism in Dialogue
4.343
Photography and Related Media
Fall 2002
4.367
Studio Seminar in Public Art
Spring 2006
4.370
Interrogative Design Workshop
Fall 2005
4.406
Ecologies of Construction
Spring 2007
4.430
Daylighting
Fall 2006
4.441
Building Technologies II: Building Structural
Systems I
Spring 2003
4.442
Building Technologies III: Building Structural Fall 2002
Systems II
4.448
Analysis of Historic Structures
Fall 2004
4.461
Building Technology I: Materials and
Construction
Fall 2004
4.462
Building Technologies II: Building Structural
Systems I
Spring 2003
4.463
Building Technologies III: Building Structural Fall 2002
Systems II
4.463
Building Technology III: Building Structural
Systems
Fall 2004
4.491
Form-Finding and Structural Optimization:
Gaudi Workshop
Fall 2004
4.493
Natural Light in Design
January
(IAP) 2006
4.493
Emergent Materials II
Spring 2005
4.510
Digital Design Fabrication
Fall 2005
4.511
Digital Mock-Up Workshop
Spring 2006
4.520
Computational Design I: Theory and
Applications
Fall 2005
4.521
Computational Design I: Theory and
Applications
Fall 2005
4.580
Inquiry into Computation and Design
Fall 2006
4.607
Thinking About Architecture: In History and
At Present
Fall 2002
4.608J
Topics in the Avant-Garde in Literature and
Cinema
Spring 2003
4.638
Drawings & Numbers: Five Centuries of
Digital Design
Fall 2002
4.645
Selected Topics in Architecture: Architecture
from 1750 to the Present
Fall 2004
4.661
Theory and Method in the Study of
Architecture and Art
Fall 2002
4.665
Contemporary Architecture and Critical Debate Spring 2002
Table 2: list of graduate courses available on the MIT opencourseware
Source: http://ocw.mit.edu
4.0
CONCLUSION
The truth remains that the age of industry has passed and the age of information is
here, but in most developing countries like Nigeria, there is still much to be desired
where the facilities to aid it are concerned.
There is therefore a need for all stakeholders: the government, educators, and students
to improve and explore the available and existing facilities to ensure that we maintain
pace with the developed world as far as different endevours are concerned.
With more information available on current trends in technology in architecture, more
can and will be done to combat and relieve the current pressure facing housing and
architecture in Nigeria and other African nations.
REFERENCES
Michael R. Simonson (2007): Guide to Distance Learning, Microsoft Encarta
encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopeadia (2007): Computer Aided Instruction, Microsoft
corporation.
Peter Newsam (2007): Teaching and Learning, Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia.
Microsoft corporation.
www.wikipedia.com
http://ocw.mit.edu/