Pearson just announce they will be offering a completely free easy-to-use Learning Management System called OpenClass. According to the press release “OpenClass is a new kind of learning management system (LMS) delivered from the Cloud. It is easy to use and completely free. There are no hardware, licensing or hosting costs, thus enabling widespread adoption of new learning approaches that encourage interaction within the classroom and around the world.”
By harnessing the power of Google Apps for Education and providing the “support and feeding” they are able to offer the system completely free. When comparing it to other OpenSource software, Matt Leavy, CEO of Pearson eCollege, commented in an interview with APM, “It’s not a free beer, it’s a free puppy. You take it home you still have support cost for the puppy.” What makes OpenClass different, Leavy stated, “It is truly free. It is free. There are no hosting charges. There are no licensing charges.”
Hear the full Marketplace interview with Matt Leavy at Marketplace.org
“OpenClass has huge potential for higher education,” said Adrian Sannier, Senior Vice President of Learning Technologies at Pearson. “OpenClass accelerates what technology will do for learning with a free, open and innovative platform that easily scales and lets students work via social media, with an intense focus on learning that elevates achievement.”
Pearson created this video introduction to OpenClass:
Blackboard has it’s work cut out for it.
To find out more, visit the OpenClass Beta page at joinopenclass.com/
