Computer Science Corporate Affiliates Meeting

Abstract: A grassroots movement is on the verge of sweeping through the academic world. The "open access movement" is based on a set of intuitions that are shared by a remarkably wide range of academics: that knowledge should be free and open to use and re-use; that collaboration should be easier, not harder; that people should receive credit and kudos for contributing to education and research; and that concepts and ideas are linked in unusual and surprising ways and not the simple linear forms that textbooks present. Open access draws inspiration from the open-source software movement (Linux, for example) and is enabled by recent developments in information technology, in particular the Internet and World Wide Web.

In this talk, I will overview Connexions (cnx.org), a non-profit start-up launched at Rice University in 1999 that aims to reinvent how we write, edit, publish, and use textbooks and course materials. Connexions is a rapidly growing collection of free, open-access educational materials and an open-source software toolkit to help authors publish and collaborate, instructors rapidly build and share custom courses, and students explore the links among concepts, courses, and disciplines. Connexions is internationally focused, interdisciplinary, and grassroots organized. Millions of people from 157 countries have tapped into materials developed by a worldwide community of authors in fields ranging from history to computer science and from mathematics to biodiversity.

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