Vishwanath Shankar asked:


Open source applications have gripped businesses across industries. Its use in the education sector has spelled a wave of phenomenal success for learning initiatives transversely through academic and corporate learning circles. Its high time educationalists unravel its power to revolutionize e-learning. With budgets for e learning initiatives contracting, it also becomes one of the most pocket friendly learning applications.

Definition of open source software

Software programs that are distributed along with their source code are called open source software programs. Users can run, study, modify, and redistribute the original or modified program. Though open source software is constructed on the same lines as proprietary software, it differs from the latter in the following issues

Since copious individuals and/or teams work on the program all at the same time, it evolves and advances at a far greater pace than those that are worked upon by a single team. A core team supervises the improvements made to the program before releasing them.

It can more efficiently meet the needs of users because it takes advantage of their collective expertise with improvements often being a consequence of users fixing their own problems or adding new features to the existing software.

The testing is done by scores of user teams working over different platforms and environments, unlike proprietary software, which ensures its superior quality.

The distributed and diverse team of developers, comprising of volunteers and users ensures the quality of the software application. Managing and organizing the work done by volunteers and users comes under the purview of the paid members of the development team.

Proprietary software applications have the disadvantage of limited viewership of the source code, whereas, an open source application possesses enhanced security features because of it being subjected to tight scrutiny by users.

Open source software in education

Though open source software has proved to be a boon to most of the businesses worldwide, it has had a marked effect on the education industry. Though open source applications have been used to produce infrastructure software for a while now, its use in the production of application software is only a recent development.

Universities and colleges have lead the way in producing open source applications like course management systems and electronic portfolios that compete directly with their proprietary counterparts. And at this rate of development, it will not be long before learning moves on to open source software from the proprietary one. The advantages of the open source applications in education, when juxtaposed with the drawbacks of their proprietary counterparts, have had immense impact on the functioning of institutions and learning organizations alike.

How open source software benefits e-learning

There are several benefits of an open source software as far as e learning is concerned. Some of them are

With e-learning budgets going through the roof, open source software fits many a pocket with its trademark markedly low or no license fee. The learning budget of an organization becomes more predictable, with decision makers having an choice of investment.

An open source software does not come with albatross of service providers, and hence gives institutions the freedom to choose them separately.

Development of functions or addition of features can be done at a desired rate, rather than pleading with the vendor and waiting endlessly for it to happen.

An open source LMS incorporates more flexible features, because of the community development efforts. This gives more power to both learners and instructors with the liberty of changing or modifying features according to needs rather than the other way round.

The collective success of the open source community is an outcome of peer support, wherein the success of one is reflected in the success of the all users.

There is a quick redressal of any problems that arise in connection with the software, because of its subjection to intense scrutiny by users, on different parameters including functionality, implementation and usability.

Low end software applications with outdated features face quick extinction, while well designed ones survive the rigorous testing that they go through.

An open source application is not subject to changing business models or acquisitions, which are the major sources of risk for an investment in software.

The service providers need to focus on the quality of services offered in order to retain clients, because they do not own the software themselves.

It supports innovation through collaboration, creativity, and a combination of ideas, which, in turn, enhances learning.

The open source application is a testimony to the fact that constant improvement and rapid development is the key to successful running of systems.

Wrap-up

The rapid evolution of e learning is being curtailed by the not-up-to-mark technology. Organizations often find themselves altering their learning needs to suit the e learning software, not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the best option available to them thanks to the perils of extensive customization. Open source software could change the face of e-learning for better, by empowering learners and instructors alike.



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