The Open University is all set to provide course material and educational resources online to students, teachers, and others in the education field, both in the UK and abroad. In a move that is a first of its kind, the University will offer access to a diverse range of subjects including arts, history, business and management, languages, sciences, and nature, at all levels, from basic to postgraduate. The university’s vice-chancellor, Brenda Gourley, said that the institution was following the lead set by various US universities. MIT was the first institution to offer its course material online for free in 2001. The Education Guardian reports:

The university plans to provide both educational material and a range of learning support, with one site aimed for learners, where material with suggested learning pathways will be offered. The second site will be mainly for course creators to encourage the sharing and re-use of materials. The $9.49 million project will be partly funded by a $4.45 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in the US.