A growing segment of distance learning is Open Course web sites. These are free sites in which individuals can view courses that range in subject matter. These sites generally do not require registration, but in turn, they do not offer credit or certification of any kind. I have chosen to examine a Stanford Law School course focusing on the bias of beauty that is prevalent in business practices. This particular course is offered in a video lecture format, lastly approximately one hour. This course is accessible via iTunes and can be retrieved from http://itunes.stanford.edu/.

As Stanford is one of the most respected academic institutions in the United States, if not the world, I had high expectations when I began this Open Course. Despite the fact that it was a free offering, I expected it to at least resemble an actual course from mainstream academia. It did not; what I was greeted with was an hour long video of a class lecture with more faults than merits. Admittedly, the subject matter offered in this course was quite interesting, if not entertaining, but it was more than obvious that this was not designed to provide a learning experience, but more of an opportunity for those participating to become more enlightened and perhaps encouraged to seek more knowledge on their own.

It was quite obvious that this course was not tailored towards a true distance learning environment. The list of course attributes that are conducive to distance learning is quite short:

·         Accessibility: The Stanford courses are readily available on iTunes, making them accessible to just about anyone that owns a computer with internet access

·         Low Tech Equipment Demands: Participants do not need items such as scanners, cameras or microphones

·         Asynchronous Courses: Learners can participates in Stanford courses any time of day, stopping and starting as desired

These are in accordance with teachings of Dr. George Piskurich in which he emphasizes the importance of considering the learners access to technology (Piskurich, 2012) and similar emphasis stated in our course text (Simonson et al., 2012).

The shortcomings of Stanford Open Course offerings, in my opinion, are quite numerous:

·         There are no visual aids to assist with information transfer

·         There is an absence of interactivity

·         Collaboration between learners is not an option

·         No Consideration of Audience

With the complete absence of some of the core design principles that should be included in distance learning planning, I believe that it is more than obvious that remotely follow the recommendations listed in our text. As I watched the Open Course it felt no different from watching a video on YouTube. There was no interactivity during the course and there were no optional follow up activities provided for the distance learners’ enrichment. The absence of any sort of assignments whatsoever left me feeling more entertained than educated, which is not the purpose of a program such as this. While this type of distance module has it’s uses and does contain excellent information, I am not sure if it warrants the label of “course” in anything but the most loose of definitions.