UMPI offers free classes through OpenU program
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
A NEW PROGRAM, UMPI OpenU, is being offered this fall, featuring courses free for the taking to the public through online access. Classes do not count towards a degree but are offered for general enrichment.
Announcing the program last week were, from left: Dr. Raymond Rice, chair of the College of Arts & Sciences and coordinator of UMPI OpenU; UMPI Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Sonntag; and Kasey Grieco McNeally, UMPI OpenU English instructor.
PRESQUE ISLE — Online learning has taken a new twist at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, with officials announcing “a bold, new step into the world of online learning” through the UMPI OpenU project — an innovative effort to allow learners of all ages to participate in online college courses for free, as long as they aren’t seeking college credit.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
Kasey Grieco McNeally, UMPI OpenU English instructor, discusses the benefits of a new program being offered this fall which will provide online access to free courses for interested individuals locally, throughout the state and beyond.
A meeting was held Aug. 16 to announce the program. On hand to discuss the project were UMPI Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Sonntag; Dr. Raymond Rice, chair of the College of Arts & Sciences and coordinator of UMPI OpenU; and Kasey Grieco McNeally, UMPI OpenU English instructor.
Sonntag said this was a first-of-its-kind program never attempted by institutes of higher education in Maine before.
“We’re offering courses completely online and completely for free,” said Sonntag.
With the unveiling, Sonntag noted UMPI was among “the first small publicly-funded universities to support the program.”
“This is a first for the University of Maine System and a first for Maine,” he said. “We’re extremely satisfied to play in the same space (Internet) as the likes of Harvard.” Harvard has been offering a similar program in recent years.
Sonntag said, “At the heart of OpenU is the idea of learning for learning’s sake. There are many people out there who would love to learn the things that are taught in a college course, but may not necessarily be interested in earning college credit toward a degree in order to gain that knowledge. Our OpenU project gives people that opportunity — to learn alongside our matriculated students in an online course setting and be enriched by the experience.”
Everyone, including community members, and people throughout the state, nation and the world, will be able to take part in UMPI OpenU courses. Each participant will have full access to the designated online courses and all the materials related to them, including direct interaction with the instructors responsible for designing and delivering the courses.
“Students have complete access to all aspects, including other students and professors,” noted Sonntag.
Rice said a test case this summer proved this was a program that will work.
“We’ll be offering five courses this fall. We realized this was a powerful tool for learning. Combined with powerful sites like Project Gutenberg (www,gutenberg.org/), this ensures a way to use technology to meet the mission of education,” said Rice. “This is a way to combine technology and education to achieve the biggest impact.”
Rice used his own mother as an example of someone who’d benefit from such a program.
“We got her an e-reader for Christmas. She loves to read but doesn’t want to pay for classes. This is one way she can interact without costing anything,” said Rice.
Rice explained that every class will run with the same maximum enrollment, to ensure the best learning experience for those enrolled, with registration handled at the instructor’s discretion.
“This is done as part of our public service,” said Rice.
McNeally said she approached Rice with the idea of teaching a course on the Brontes, noting past barriers in education have prevented many individuals from learning about such classic authors.
“I grew up poor. Education was considered fragile. I depended on small-town libraries and merit aid. I managed to open doors through scholarships. I hear the same problems from my students who have to work or can’t afford the texts or classes,” said McNeally.
“Since this project started rolling, there’s been so much interest from homeschoolers, retirees, people in other parts of the state who want to be part of the educational system but have been unable to do so,” she said.
McNeally said OpenU provides and opportunity for those interested to “get their feet wet” and be a part of academic discourse.
“This provides participants a chance to interact with me and other students. Not all learning comes from an institution but rather is obtained through interaction with other students and that environment,” said McNeally.
Sonntag said this is something the campus is really ready to embrace.
“We have new leaders in place. We’re thinking in new ways and anticipate an exciting semester ahead of us,” said Sonntag.
First, officials selected the courses to be offered, with each remaining a for-credit class UMPI students can take while also being offered through OpenU. Both will have access to Blackboard, the system UMPI uses to deliver online courses.
Second, they are requiring that all materials used as part of these courses are either public domain works (such as Jane Austen or Charles Dickens), copyright free, or created and delivered by the instructor through Blackboard. Public domain works will be available to participants either as PDF files through Blackboard, or personally downloaded as digital copies (through devices like a Kindle or Nook).
“UMPI OpenU learners will have the option during UMPI’s add/drop period to enroll in the course for credit, but the course may not be added for credit once the add/drop period is over. Either way, participants walk away at the end of the semester with a much deeper knowledge of the subject area they have been studying,” said Sonntag.
“This is not a passive or ‘canned’ experience, and it comes at absolutely no cost to the individual — a principle to which every instructor in this project is dedicated,” said Rice. “We haven’t set an age limit but rather are leaving that to the discretion of the instructor.”
To learn more about UMPI OpenU, visit www.umpi.edu/openU or call 768-9416. The first UMPI OpenU classes will be offered starting this fall. There are limited slots, so individuals interested in this opportunity are encouraged to register early.