Open Sourcing the Project

One current vision for the project that can demonstrate how it is genuinely a shared project is our desire to convert to an open source platform. To date, the “place” of the project has been a learning management system either literally created by CCC, or leased by CCC (in this case a private, insular classroom on Blackboard). By the Spring 2006 semester, we intend to offer Sharing Cultures Project discussion boards through an open source platform such as Drupal or Moodle.

Some of the benefits of open sourcing the project are that:

• Neither school will “own” the site as it will be a shared space;
• Archives will be continually accessible as archiving is immediate;
• Students will be able to continue accessing the site and posting responses after the class ends;
• Faculty will have multiple ways of managing student writings;
• Outside/community members may have the chance to read the postings and participate;
• Open access may encourage the adoption of such a project at another institution; and
• We will have the option of using alternate online writing spaces, such as blogs.

We are eager to see what happens for our students in this new space as it has become evident to us that the form, in theis case the platform, does matter to the content of the course. We hope that with a more shared, open, “free” space, the Sharing Cultures Project will be able to shift into its next incarnation, creating for us all a different and more equitable learning environment.

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