How does Notre Dame OCW differ from other types of Web-based education, including distance learning?
Notre Dame OCW differs from other Web-based education offerings in that it is free and open, does not provide university credit, and grants no access to university faculty. Notre Dame OCW is not a distance-learning initiative. Distance learning involves the active exchange of information between faculty and students, with the goal of obtaining some form of a credential. Increasingly, distance learning is also limited to those willing and able to pay for materials or course delivery. Notre Dame OCW is not meant to replace degree-granting higher education or for-credit courses. Rather, the goal is to provide the content that supports an education. Many individual faculty members at Notre Dame OCW and other universities already use the Web extensively to make standard course materials available to their students. Some colleges and universities now require a Web site for every class. But, to a large extent, these Web sites are designed for, and access is only provided to, the students enro
