Can I become an expert in my field using MIT OpenCourseWare?

Everyone loves a free lunch, or a free education, as the case may be. According to MIT, students praise the quality of the OpenCourseWare video lectures, citing them as indispensable tools in helping them to pass difficult courses they've taken. Teachers, meanwhile, download lesson plans for their classes, brush up on subjects they haven't taught in a while and use OpenCourseWare to make up for the resources their schools lack. Self-learners, too, like the site's resources, using the lectures, videos and other materials for career development and to satisfy their curiosity.

But could MIT OpenCourseWare make you an expert in your field? That's debatable. Not all courses are posted in their entirety, and you may not always find those helpful video lectures or solutions to handouts. And no matter how hard you work or how many courses you complete, you can't earn an MIT degree or claim credit hours.

Let's say you want to become an architect. You can plow through all 37 undergraduate and 69 graduate architecture-related courses posted on the site until you're blue in the face, but you still can't flaunt your master's degree in architecture afterward. If you're a dedicated student, you can certainly become knowledgeable about urban design, furniture making and many other topics. If you're really sharp, you might even design your own house, but you won't necessarily be able to get a job. Last time we checked, having a master's degree in OpenCourseWare wasn't one of the criteria for scoring a contract. After all, would you hire someone to build your home knowing that he gained his expertise through a one-sided interaction with the computer?

On the other hand, if you're looking for employment somewhere that hires based on skills alone, you may be able to use OpenCourseWare to your advantage, especially if you already have a good base from which to build. With so much information readily available, why couldn't you become an expert in your chosen area? That assumes you can make it through much of the admittedly difficult course material.

Even if you're looking to take less technical classes such as expository writing, you'll be at a distinct disadvantage. After all, as much as learning is an individual pursuit, it relies upon the assistance of others. With MIT OpenCourseWare, you won't get to participate in class discussions. Nor will you receive constructive criticism on your work or be able to ask questions of your professors.

The success of OpenCourseWare is due to those professors. It's their teaching materials that are being published for the world to see. More than 90 percent of MIT instructors have voluntarily contributed to the site [source: MIT: President's Message]. They also came up with the idea. Since a faculty committee first proposed the OpenCourseWare idea in 2000 as a way to use the Internet to further the university's mission to spread knowledge, more than 150 other universities have started their own versions [source: MIT: President's Message].

Whether you're a student, teacher or just a curious person, you're bound to find something in MIT OpenCourseWare that interests you. From aeronautics and nuclear science to writing and humanistic studies, the program's online resources could keep you busy for years to come. And while it's not the same as an MIT education, it may be the next best thing.

­For more information on MIT OpenCourseWare and related topics, explore the links on the following page.