# OpenEd: Why I was distracted II


![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/79/241882694_52eb61059d_m.jpg)The
other thing that has been going on is that I delivered a lecture on Open
Learning and Global Education to the class I TA for on Tuesday. Although
I taught English in a Chinese university for a year, and I have given
several public presentations, this was my first proper two-hour academic
lecture, with 75+ students and a Powerpoint. The professor was away, and
I was very happy to be asked to give the lecture in his place. I wish I
had thought of arranging for video or at least sound recording, both for
my own sake, and for sharing it, but alas.

I wanted to share with the students many of the ideas that have come out
of this class, but also putting it into a context, both of the history
of education, universities developing as institutions, and the role they
currently play, and the problems/challenges they are facing in both the
developed world (Canada) and the developing world. We started by
discussing the history of a university, and its “essence” - what is a
university, and what is its purpose. How is it organized? I was trying
to make them realize that the current way of organizing higher education
is not by far the only possible way. I also showed them Michael Wesch’s
video [A Vision of Students
Today](http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=119) (and I quite enjoyed
the [“inverted
list”](http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=125#more-125) that
[Antonio
Fini](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fininformatica/VQIO/~3/182727823/)
linked to, might have to show that to my students).

![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/144282930_ea3aa758c3_m.jpg)After
the break we discussed higher education in developing countries, the
problems they face with colonial vestiges and massification of higher
education, and how distance education and OERs could contribute to solve
some of these problems. We ended with a short discussion on
accreditation, both the idea promoted by the Economist (I cannot find
this article) that Harvard should split into two, one that accreditates
anyone that is good enough, and one that competes with any other school
for preparing students for the tests. I even mentioned writings from the
[Indian NGO](http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/) that is [completely
against
accreditation](http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/healingdiplomadisease.pdf),
and that I found through a link by [Andreas
Formiconi](http://iamarf.blogspot.com/2007/08/open-ed-week-1.html)
during week 1).

[My slides are
online](http://www.slideshare.net/houshuang/open-learning-and-global-education).
All the pictures are either Creative Commons pictures from Flickr or
pictures from Wikipedia. However, I simply did not have time to build up
a list of all the 80 odd photos I used, and where they came from, and so
I broke the attribution requirement. I still believe it’s better to put
this up there, then not to, but if any of the people in the slide
contact me, I will be happy to attribute, and I apologize. This
strengthens my belief that a
[CC-Ø](http://onward.justia.com/useful-tools-web-sites-195-free-courts-of-appeals-decisions-from-1950-and-all-us-supreme-court-decisions-since-1754-coming-soon.html)
([1](http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/11/going_legal_on.html)) is
the way to go.

(And I have to share this [cute
screencast](http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2007/11/what-second-gra.html)
of a mom and her six year old son discussion CC licenses)

Stian\
 *(thanks to [bennylin0724 @
flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/benny_lin/) for the lecture hall
picture, and [.zoe @ flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/81143208@N00/)
for the notepad picture)*