Access: Closed vs. Open

One of the ways in which we can categorize online learning environments is how easily learners can gain access to them - and the barriers to such access. Courses may often be categorized as either closed or open. The fewer the barriers, the more open the course. Some of the barriers to online learning include:

cost
prerequisites
technology

Let's take a look at those barriers...

Barriers to Entry

Cost: A number of online learning environments offer courses free of charge. However, for most traditional learning environments beyond grade school, a fee is charged for taking the course or program. This can range from a low nominal fee to many thousands of dollars per course.
Prerequisites (Prior knowledge): Learners may be required to have some form of prior knowledge, skills or particular course in order to take a course. These types of requirements are often referred to as "pre-requisites." Prerequisite requirements are especially common in institutions of higher learning but, in effect, even primary and secondary school courses have pre-requisites. For example, it is usually required that students have completed grade 2 before they are admitted to grade 3. Thus, grade 2 is a prerequisite to grade 3.
Technical Requirements: As you might expect, one of the essential characteristics of an online course is that it is 'online.' That means a learner needs to be able to get online. To do so, one typically needs access to
- a computer or mobile device (smart phone, tablet) and
- a reliable internet connection.
Many people in western society, especially those in urban environments, now take computing devices and high-speed internet connections for granted. However, not all people are so lucky. For example, only 30-40% of the population of Cuba have internet access. Much of the population in the East African country of Tanzania have no internet access at all!

Click here or on the map below (Figure 1) to open an animated view of how many people around the world used the internet from 2000-2012. Note: You will see the years counting off in the map's legend. Countries that are red, orange or yellow indicate that 50% or less of the population use the internet in that year.

Figure 1. Annual percentage of national populations using the internet (2000-2012)

While issues of cost and prior knowledge may vary as a barrier to entry, the lack of the necessary technology is a 'deal breaker.' One simply cannot learn online without some sort of access to a computing device and the internet.

Table 1 below summarizes the discussion of barriers to entry in online learning.

Table 1. A Comparison of Barriers to Entry: Closed vs. Open Online Learning Environments

	"Closed" Online Learning Environments	"Open" Online Learning Environments
Cost	Typically some cost. May vary from low to very high depending on environment, course, or institution.	Varies. In some instances there is no or low cost. However, other 'open' institutions charge fees comparable to those of closed institutions.
Course prerequisites	Typically although not always.	Prerequisites (if any!) tend to be less restrictive.
Must have access to computer and internet.	Yes	Yes

go to Open or Closed? activity
A sorting activity

The practice activities open in a new tab or browser window. When you complete the exercise, proceed to close the tab/window. If you wish to restart or redo the activity, click on the Re-start button below the activity or you my re-enter from this page.

Levels of Access

How might different types or levels of access impact what you experience in a course? Would any of these barriers to access influence what courses you might want or be able to take? Feel free to express your responses using images and links, then see what others post and offer comments.

Go to the Levels of Access padlet

Padlet Instructions
To post on the wall, double-click on any open space and a text box should appear with icons for audio, video, photos and attachments. When you are finished, click anywhere outside of the box to save your entry. Click anywhere in the box to edit, and comment on the posts of others by clicking on 'Add Comment'.

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pg.4/8, Module 3