Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 39 Number 4: Summer 2007

	Edited by Dr. Lynne Schrum, George Mason University
formerly Journal of Research on Computing in Education

Volume 39 Number 4 Summer 2007

Perceptions of Open Source Versus Commercial Software: Is Higher Education Still on the Fence?

Shahron Williams van Rooij
Datatel, Inc.

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the perceptions of technology and academic decisionmakers about open source benefits and risks versus commercial software applications. The study also explored reactions to a concept for outsourcing campus-wide deployment and maintenance of open source. Data collected from telephone interviews were analyzed, emergent themes identified, and a model of differentiators of open source versus commercial software was created, which was then used to evaluate reactions to the outsourcing concept. Interviews revealed perceived barriers to open source adoption and the extent to which the outsourcing concept could alleviate risks. Recommendations for overcoming adoption barriers are offered and future research opportunities identified to ensure that open source software applications are both technically efficient and supportive of engaged learning.

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Contributors

Shahron Williams van Rooij is director of product marketing at Datatel, Inc. in Fairfax, Virginia, where she facilitates the engineering of new e-learning technology solutions. She earned a PhD in instructional technology at George Mason University and has five years of college classroom teaching plus a strong background in e-learning. As a Certified Distance Education Professional (C.D.E.P.) credentialed by Texas A&M University, she is a frequent speaker on the development of Web-based education and has published in journals such as the WebNet Journal and the Journal of Interactive Learning Research. (E-mail: swvr@cox.net.)

Copyright 2007, (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.