How do we decide whether an action is morally wrong? How do we choose to do what is right? When and why do we punish wrong-doers? Moral behavior and moral evaluation are functions of the human brain. It is just becoming possible to use neuroscientific methods to understand how they work. This course will consider the mechanisms of morality as a question for neuroscientists.
What can the Massachusetts Institute of Technology learn from faculty at other institutions who use open educational resources (OER) from MIT OpenCourseWare in their teaching? How do implementers of open education at community colleges meet the unique needs of their curriculum and students? What can we learn about open practices by collaborating across sectors of higher education, and how might these collaborations shape what we do, and how?
To begin to answer these questions, MIT OpenCourseWare launched a collaboration with Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona and College of the Canyons in California to support and learn from community college faculty. Supported by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this pilot project has yielded a rich set of reflections and observations about the range and use of MIT OpenCourseWare materials, the nature of open education practices, and the value of collaboration itself across institutions.
In this project, MIT is turning to open-enrollment community colleges as important thought leaders and implementers in the field of open education. By pairing OER from MIT OpenCourseWare with the impactful classroom applications of open education principles and practices, our work together furthers the shared goal of increased equity, inclusivity, and access for students. And, by collaborating across different sectors of higher education, we build on one another’s strengths and create new pathways for learning.