Open Source Software in Education
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OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE 32 EDUCAUSE QUARTERLY • Number 2 2008 IN EDUCATION Academia has adopted open source software for some online learning initiatives because it addresses persistent technical challenges By Shaheen E. Lakhan and Kavita Jhunjhunwala ducational institutions have rushed to put their academic resources and services online, bringing the global community onto a common platform and awakening the interest of investors. Despite continuing technical challenges, online education shows great promise. Open source software offers one approach to address- ing the technical problems in providing optimal delivery of online learning. EOpen source refers to both the concept and practice of making program source code openly available. Users and developers have access to the core designing functionalities that enable them to modify or add features to the source code and redistribute it. Extensive collaboration and circulation are central to the open source movement. Many features distinguish open source software from closed or proprietary software. The Open Source Initiative (OSI) has set a standard—the “open source definition”—by which software qualifies for an open source license.1 The software must meet the following criteria: ■ Unrestricted distribution. Users can distribute or sell the software without paying royalties. ■ Source code distribution. The source code of the entire open source product must be easily modifiable. In the absence of the source code, the product must cite a low-cost resource where users can obtain it. ■ Modifications. The license allows modifications, and its terms remain unchanged for distribution of improved versions. ■ Author’s source code integrity. If the license allows patch file distribution along with the original source code, a user cannot modify the code and distribute it2 except by giving the new version a new name. © 2008 Shaheen E. Lakhan and Kavita Jhunjhunwala Number 2 2008 • EDUCAUSE QUARTERLY 33 ■ No personal discrimination. No lost momentum in the face of advances lections of study material culled from person or group shall be discrimi- in computer science. different academic sources. nated against during open source Programmer Richard Stallman Education portals, although not product distribution. founded the GNU Project in 1984. The directly connected to the curriculum, ■ No restriction on application. Open GNU General Public License allows have become an integral part of educa- source software can be used in any users to modify the code and distribute tion. Since the late 1990s, some U.S. field and for any purpose. the improved version under the same universities have outsourced e-mail ■ License distribution. The privileges license. The GNU operating system and other Web services, site admin- attached to the original program lacked a kernel, however, until Linus istrative functions, courseware, and extend to all who receive the program, Torvalds developed the Linux kernel. In other computer administrative ser- so recipients do not need to apply for 1992, the Linux kernel was integrated vices to software development and a separate license. within the GNU operating system. application companies. ■ License must not be product-specific. The Linux became more sophisticated Courseware is used in both the aca- rights associated with a license extend over time with the help of program- demic and corporate sectors, with to products extracted from a larger mers who worked to improve the kernel development often outsourced to software aggregate. and create Linux-adapted software. The companies that provide study mate- ■ No restriction on other software. No following years witnessed the introduc- rial for both online and offline pur- restrictions are allowed on distribu- tion of many commercial and enhanced poses. Many companies use sophis- tion of open source products bundled versions of the Linux operating system ticated computerized courses in their with products developed on other by vendors such as Red Hat, Mandriva, employee training programs. software platforms. and Novell. Linux is still available as The Internet offers opportunities to ■ Technology neutrality. Licenses should free open source software. combine educational and economic not be issued on the basis of the spe- goals on a common, globally acces- cific technology involved. Learning and Digitization sible platform. This requires extensive The digitization of education is technical support to create and sustain History of Open Source a relatively new phenomenon that the software infrastructure on which The development of three operating has transformed the education sector. digital education primarily depends. systems—UNIX, GNU, and Linux— Corporations and academic institu- Most universities rely on software ven- formed the foundation of the open tions have joined forces to further dors to support, for instance, virtual source movement.3 From its inception, explore the potential for digitizing learning environments and learning open source has been closely associated education through management systems that deliver with academia. online learning components. This puts UNIX had its roots in the joint ven- ■ Virtual universities considerable strain on their already ture launched in the late 1960s by Bell ■ Online courses overburdened finances. Labs and MIT to create a new operating ■ Education portals Following a period of intense system named Multics. Based on that ■ Courseware competition, the higher education work, some of the programmers devel- software domain is dominated by a oped a new operating system, which Virtual universities are the best-known few major vendors,4 with the risk of they named UNIX, to provide more form of online education. Accredited monopolization in the future.5 This flexibility to users. Academic insti- virtual universities such as the Univer- leaves academic institutions with one tutions could purchase UNIX source sity of Phoenix offer degrees in mainly obvious option: to develop in-house codes at a price considerably lower professional courses taught largely by systems to fulfill their IT requirements. than that paid by corporations and part-time faculty members from dif- Unfortunately, such projects often are government agencies. ferent universities. Online consortia of isolated endeavors riddled with flaws In 1975, Ken Thompson joined the academic institutions integrate related or prohibitively expensive—or both. University of California, Berkeley, along courses into programs delivered via a Another option is to adopt the with two other graduate students, Bill single virtual university. collaborative model of open source Joy and Chuck Haley. In 1977 the trio Online courses are offered in a vari- software development, which enables began distributing an open source ver- ety of forms by various sources. Some educational institutions to pool their sion of UNIX called BSD. The following courses are offered by subsidiaries of financial and technical resources. In year saw the release of a revised edition renowned traditional universities, addition, a huge user community pro- called 2BSD. although many such courses are not vides a variety of testing environments The MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab accredited. The parent universities’ for the new software. launched a similar endeavor in which names act as a powerful draw for online Open source software products tend the code was enhanced by passing it students. Courses are also offered by to be more reliable and benefit from among the programmers. The venture organizations that create digital col- continuous development. This is one 34 EDUCAUSE QUARTERLY • Number 2 2008 reason to invest liberally in develop- usability. This is one reason proprietary ing open source application software— software companies commit resources to work out a more cost-effective to product documentation and cus- way of meeting e-learning software tomer support. The lack of commercial challenges. incentives in many open source proj- ects undoubtedly reduces some con- Open Source and Its Impact tributors’ enthusiasm. If the support on Learning system disappears, educational institu- As college administrators strive to tions will have trouble improving and strike a balance between resources and customizing their open source products requirements, open source e-learning in the absence of governmental grants software has emerged as a viable solu- or advocacy policies (which are contro- tion. Many universities have opted versial in themselves). for open source learning management systems, in particular. Advantages that Considering the Options have tipped the balance toward open Educational institutions must con- source include the following: sider multiple issues before making a choice among software options. Many ■ The absence of a license fee. Most uni- The huge collaborative nonprofit organizations provide infor- versities annually pay large sums network of the open source mation about open source products to software companies to use their and their applicability. OSS Watch, products, but open source licenses community minimizes, an advisory committee funded by the are free. although it does not Joint Information Systems Committee ■ Flexibility. Open source products are (JISC), provides comprehensive analy- customizable and can involve third eliminate, the risk of ses of the legal, technical, and eco- parties. New features and tools can discontinued service nomic aspects of open source software be imported from the open source implementation in the higher educa- community.