MIT and Michigan State University staff visit USQ

Professor Jim Taylor (left) with Mr John Dehlin from the OpenCourseWare Consortium, and Dr Christine Geith from Michigan State University.

Two senior American academics visited the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Toowoomba Campus recently (18-20 February 2008), as part of the University's involvement as the only Australian member of the OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC).

Director of the OCWC, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Mr John Dehlin, and Executive Director of Michigan State University's MSUglobal, Dr Christine Geith, travelled to USQ to participate in discussions about a potential joint project in the area of online learning.

During their visit, Mr Dehlin and Dr Geith viewed a range of USQ systems and services for online delivery which could underpin the proposed project, including the University's online learning management, customer relationship management and cross-media electronic publishing systems.

USQ's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Learning Services) Professor Jim Taylor, said the proposed project has the potential to enable USQ to work with prestigious and well-known international universities that are committed to increasing access to higher education, especially in developing countries.

'The visit by Mr Dehlin and Dr Geith indicated the regard with which USQ was held, in terms of its leadership in distance and online learning,' Professor Taylor said.

Mr Dehlin has been Director of the OCWC since 2006. Prior to that was Director of Outreach at the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning at Utah State University, as well as having undertaken various roles during a seven year stint with the Microsoft Corporation.

'As Director of the OpenCourseware Consortium, we could not be more pleased to have USQ as a member - and very much look forward to working closely with Professor Taylor and his USQ team on new innovations around the growing OpenCourseWare movement,' Mr Dehlin said.

As Director of the University of Michigan's entrepreneurial business unit, Dr Geith works with academic partners worldwide to develop online institutes, programs and services and said the visit to USQ was very productive.

'USQ is an outstanding example of a dual mode university with impressive innovations and awards,' Dr Geith said.

Mr Dehlin and Dr Geith spent some time in Brisbane before flying back to the US, where they will continue to collaborate on the Project with Professor Taylor, via internet and video link.

A collaboration of more than 100 higher education institutions and associated organisations from around the world, the OWC Consortium aims to create a broad and deep body of open educational content using a shared model.

The mission of the OCW Consortium is to advance education and empower people worldwide through free and open digital publication of high quality educational materials.

USQ joined the OCW in 2007, and remains the only Australian member of the Consortium.

Media Contact: USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2092