Impact of Opencourseware on Paid Enrollment in Distance Learning Courses

Since MIT launched the first OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative in 2002, responses from
the academic community have ranged from exuberance to angst. Some institutions have been
reluctant to adopt a program of open publishing because of concerns about long-term funding
and possible adverse effects on paid enrollment. Money is an issue, forcing some organizations
that initially created OCW programs to furlough them due to funding challenges.
This study examined the cost of converting online distance learning courses to OCW, the
impact of opening these courses on paid enrollments, and the long-term sustainability of OCW
through the generation of new paid enrollments. As part of this study, Brigham Young
University?s Independent Study Program (BYU IS) converted three university and three high
school courses to OCW. BYU IS provided an option for OCW users to pay regular tuition and
enroll in the online course for credit.
The average ongoing cost to convert BYU IS courses to OCW was $284.12 per
university course and $1,172.71 per high school course. The six opened courses generated
13,795 visits and 445 total paid enrollments in four months. The profit margin on the paid
enrollments OCW generated was calculated to be 3.81% for open publishing to be financially
self-sustaining at BYU Independent Study.