Editorial: Lecturing to a wider audience

The OpenCourseWare program at MIT is perhaps the most robust of similar efforts at other schools. The program’s greatest success has been its ability to disseminate learning materials around the globe and, in particular, to countries whose residents have little access to higher education. By setting up a program similar to OCW and offering greater access to lectures, Princeton could build on MIT’s success. The University’s comparatively richer course offerings in the humanities and social sciences would ensure that this effort would add to and not simply recreate content that is already available. Providing lectures and course materials online would bring the University one step closer to fulfilling its unofficial motto, “Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.”

Setting up such a program would create major costs for the University, most notably those of filming lectures. Given its current financial situation, it is unlikely that the University is in a position to make such an investment. One solution would be to charge users a fee, similar to the one being considered by MIT, to cover the costs of the program. Ideally, the fee would be small enough to allow for wide access to lectures and other course materials but large enough to cover the University’s costs in the long term. While from a public perspective it would be preferable for the University to offer lectures free of charge, current circumstances make this course of action fiscally irresponsible. MIT spends roughly $4 million on OCW, and it is likely making Princeton courses available online would present a similar financial burden. Additionally, charging a fee could allow the University to initially provide online access to a greater number of courses.

Not everyone is lucky enough to attend this university, but that does not mean that those who do not study here cannot be given the opportunity to take advantage of some of Princeton’s intellectual wealth. Providing online access to lectures and course materials for a small fee would allow the University to provide this public good in a budget-neutral way. The University should initiate this program with all reasonable haste and make available as many lectures as is practical.