The OpenCourseware project is a bold initiative and the organization and presentation of the content will undoubtedly help many people, but reading content and taking tests is not a very effective way for most people to learn.
Two important aspects of learning that are missing are motivation (eg project due tomorrow) or the draw of a learning community (eg slashdot). The classroom lecture format of the MIT courses doesn't facilitate either of these very well-
Hopefully in the future we'll see some kind of MIT (or 3rd party) learning communities built around individual courses to help facilitate a more effective learning environment.
Slashdot Mirror
you can read more about the project at their (unfinished website): utopianet.org It's mostly empty, but there is a list of cities and a good FAQ
The OpenCourseware project is a bold initiative and the organization and presentation of the content will undoubtedly help many people, but reading content and taking tests is not a very effective way for most people to learn.
Two important aspects of learning that are missing are motivation (eg project due tomorrow) or the draw of a learning community (eg slashdot). The classroom lecture format of the MIT courses doesn't facilitate either of these very well-
Hopefully in the future we'll see some kind of MIT (or 3rd party) learning communities built around individual courses to help facilitate a more effective learning environment.