Editor's Notebook: Let All Access Harvard’s Knowledge

The OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative announced by MIT on Wednesday is an unprecedented step toward making knowledge and education more accessible—and free—to people across the globe. By offering the materials for over 2,000 courses on the Internet, MIT is encouraging individuals everywhere to supplement their education and to become more intellectually curious. The result will be a better educated public. Furthermore, other institutions may be encouraged to create similar programs by this system of free information. The result could be a massive, worldwide database of scholarly work accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Surely, if MIT can undertake this $10 million-per-year project, Harvard, with its $19 billion endowment, can spare some change to give people who have not had the chance to attend an elite college the opportunity to sample cutting-edge scholarly thought.

Such a program would provide a number of benefits. Institutions around the world would be able to integrate the teachings of Harvard faculty into their research and curricula. Younger students could utilize this information to further their interests through college-level work, regardless of whether they’re interested in organic chemistry, American history or Chinese. This endeavor should not monetarily benefit Harvard; keeping this service free commits Harvard to the principle of intellectual discussion for the sake of knowledge rather than the often-almighty dollar. Finally, by helping millions everywhere, Harvard would send a signal to the world that it is fully committed to the free exchange of ideas.

Critics of OCW have asked why students would still attend Ivy-caliber universities if Harvard’s education could be attained from home and at no cost. However, a Harvard education is about more than books, lectures and assignments—it is about personal interaction with professors and other students. It is also the experience of spending four years in Cambridge—something that cannot be done from one’s computer.

Those who visit the websites will not receive diplomas or course credit, but they will be better off by having been exposed to information presented by scholars in every field. The University’s basic philosophy, succinctly expressed in its motto Veritas, should continue to be a commitment to the pursuit of knowledge. By freely offering others new educational opportunities, Harvard will both promote intellectual curiosity and further the quest for truth.