Open source software in higher education: Freedom at what price?

摘要

As institutions of Higher Education try to balance limited resources with the rising costs of technology, some institutions are turning to Open Source---software delivered with its computer program source code---for campus-wide applications such as course management systems for teaching and learning, financial systems for institution administration or portals for personalized interfaces to various software applications. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which institutions of Higher Education in the United States are seriously considering Open Source to construct a truly integrated learning environment serving the academic and business sides of the institution. Using a mixed methods design, the first phase of this research consisted of a Web-based survey of 772 Chief Academic Officers and Chief Information Officers about their awareness, attitudes and practices surrounding the deployment of Open Source Software. The second phase of the research consisted of 20 one-on-one depth telephone interviews among volunteers from the first phase of the research and probed for the factors informing participant thinking on Open Source, as well as reactions to a concept for providing Open Source deployment services to institutions. The results of the research indicate that Carnegie classification is a key differentiator of awareness, attitudes and adoption of Open Source Software applications, with Associate institutions the least likely to be engaged in activities related to Open Source. The results also question the scope and depth of collaboration between Chief Academic Officers and Chief Information Officers in the selection of enterprise-wide software applications for teaching and learning. Further, the results support anecdotal evidence that uncertainty about the Total Cost of Ownership is the greatest barrier to widespread adoption of Open Source Software applications. Finally, the results of this research indicate that successful adoption of Open Source Software applications requires a willingness to mitigate the support, security, quality and longevity risks associated with Open Source by investing in technology professionals---either by expanding the institution's staff or by outsourcing to commercial support providers---and by early and frequent collaboration between the institution's academic and technical constituents to advance adoption.