翻译：姜凯文(简介并寄信)
修正校定：朱学恒
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麻省理工“开放式课程”计划更新日期：2003年三月
每月发行给麻省理工“开放式课程”计划的使用者及伙伴的电子报
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麻省理工开放式课程电子报 2003年三月号内容：
1. 促进麻省理工开放式课程的学习社群
2. 深度探索：课程 21H.126
3. 本月的科技小百科
4. 一个常见的问题
1. 促进麻省理工开放式课程的学习社群
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自从麻省理工“开放式课程”测试网站于去年对外发布以来，我们发现已经有多个围绕特定麻省理工“开放式课程”课程的学习社区出现。其中有些仅仅是几个朋友聚在一起阅读麻省理工学院的课程资料，或者根据麻省理工“开放式课程”提供的内容相互测试。使麻省理工“开放式课程”教师和员工感到高兴的是，其他人则关注于如何利用麻省理工“开放式课程”网站提供的资料。
大勘萨斯市Java专业协会(KCJPA)就是这样的一个团体，每个月集会讨论有关Java程式的主题(在麻省理工开放式课程公开前即已独立存在)，利用“课程 6.170：软件工程实习”所提供的教材于2002年11月举行研讨会来讨论其课程大纲，与利用雅虎的讨论区建立一个进行中的同伴领导的研究群组的指导方针。要了解更多关于KCJPA及他们如何利用麻省理工开放式课程教材，请到网站： at http://www.kcjava.org. Visit their Yahoo Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KCJPA/.
在雅虎也有另外专注于麻省理工学院线上课程教材的线上群组，就在2001年4月当麻省理工开放式课程宣布开放时，在雅虎的讨论区就有一个群组成立来讨论这个大胆计划的影响： http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MIT-OpenCourseWare-Discussion/
U我们鼓励使用者利用网络与其他的使用者沟通，如果你可让我们知道你的群组，我们将在下期的电子报中公布。要在雅虎建立讨论群组，请到：: http://groups.yahoo.com/start
要在MSN建立讨论群组，请到： http://groups.msn.com/
要在AOL建立讨论群组，请到：: http://groups.aol.com/
2. 深度探索：课程 21H.126
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每个月，这份电子报将提供订户一份针对特定主题的深度指导。本月，我们将探讨“课程 21H.126：大战与萧条时的美国”，这门课程是由麻省理工学院人文、艺术与社会科学学院所开设的： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/CourseHome/index.htm
麻省理工学院的梅格．雅各教授的主题检视了经济大萧条与第二次世界大战如何永久地改变了美国政治与社会。他的题目涵盖了（纽约股市的）大崩盘、（罗斯福总统的）百日新政、罗斯福、家园、诺曼地登陆以及原子弹轰炸。这些课程教材透过影片、小说、报纸以其他的历史文件来探讨这些事件。
T在网站中这门课程包含了丰富的影像收集来支援并说明课程主题，从“繁荣的结束”到“战后美国的遗产”。点选“相关资源”来观赏这庞大的线上图库：
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/RelatedResources/detail/images.htm
网站也包含了一个详尽的重要事件的时间表： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/RelatedResources/index.htm
在雅各教授的教学大纲中的时间表与图库烘托出这个课程的时间与主题： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/Syllabus/index.htm
时间表与图库也会帮助使用者完成网站中的“作业”所列出的阅读问题： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/Assignments/index.htm
3. 本月的科技小百科
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当麻省理工开放式课程网站持续地成长与发展，我们正将重点放在提供使用者功能齐全的搜寻与根据后设资料标签所建立的交互参考功能。目前，网站的搜寻仍有些限制，但使用者仍可执行一些进阶的搜寻功能，如：精确片语 – 若你想要用精确片语进行搜寻，就使用双引号(“ “)将片语输入在搜寻栏中。包含/排除字元 – 为了限制搜寻，可使用特殊字元来将字元包含或排除。例如，加号(+)在文字前则是这个文字都会在搜寻结果中，减号(-)在文字前则是这个文字都不会在搜寻结果中。使用万用字元(*) – 万用字元在搜寻相似的字时很方便，万用字元是星号(*)而且只能加在字的尾端。所以，“build*”是个有效的单字搜寻，但“b*d”就不行了。这个搜寻方式有其限制。例如，它可能无法送回拥有与在星号之前的文字完全相符的单字的文件。
要了解更多的搜寻技巧，使你能更加体验麻省理工学院的课程教材，请到： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/OCWHelp/search-help.htm
4. 一个常见的问题
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问：使用麻省理工学院“开放式课程网页”有什么先决条件
答：因为麻省理工开放式课程并非远距教学或学位授与的活动，不需要注册程序来阅读课程教材。麻省理工开放式课程是一个课程教材的发布，支援麻省理工学院教育的动态教室互动。麻省理工开放式课程对任何世界各地的使用者而言是不收费的线上系统。
使用麻省理工开放式课程自修时也不需要任何的先决条件，如果你想知道麻省理工学院的学生在修习个别课程时的先修条件，请到麻省理工学院的线上课程分类： http://student.mit.edu/catalog/
要找到有关麻省理工开放式课程的问题与解答，请到： http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/OCWHelp/help.htm
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The MIT OpenCourseWare Update: March 2003
A Monthly E-mail Newsletter for Users
and Friends of MIT OpenCourseWare
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The March 2003 MIT OpenCourseWare Update Contains:
1. Fostering MIT OCW Learning Communities
2. Digging Deeper: Course 21H.126
3. Technology Tip of the Month
4. A Frequently Asked Question
1. Fostering MIT OCW Learning Communities
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Since the MIT OCW pilot site opened to the public last year, we have discovered that several learning communities have sprung up around certain MIT OCW subjects. Some of learning communities are simply a few friends who gather to read through MIT's course materials, or test each other on the content provided by MIT OCW. But others have taken on a more focused approach to utilizing the materials presented on the MIT OCW site, much to the delight of MIT's faculty and staff.
One such group is the Greater Kansas City Java Professionals Association (KCJPA). This organization, which meets each month to discuss issues related to Java programming (and existed independently before the public release of MIT OCW), took the materials offered in "Course 6.170: Laboratory in Software Engineering" and held a workshop in November 2002 that discussed the course syllabus, and established guidelines for an ongoing peer-led study group of the MIT OCW materials, utilizing a Yahoo Discussion Board. To read more about the KCJPA and how they have utilized MIT OCW materials, visit them on the Web at http://www.kcjava.org. Visit their Yahoo Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KCJPA/.
Yahoo is also the host for another online community focused on MIT's online course materials. Shortly after MIT OCW was announced in April 2001, a group was formed on Yahoo to discuss the implications of this bold initiative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MIT-OpenCourseWare-Discussion/
Users are encouraged to utilize the Web to communicate with other MIT OCW users. If you let us know about your group, we will publicize it in upcoming edition of the "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" email newsletter. To start a group on Yahoo, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/start
To start a group on MSN, go to: http://groups.msn.com/
To start a group on AOL, go to: http://groups.aol.com/
2.Digging Deeper: Course 21H.126
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Each month, this newsletter offers subscribers an in-depth guide to one particular subject. This month, we delve into "Course 21H.126: America in Depression and War," a course from the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/CourseHome/index.htm
MIT Professor Meg Jacobs' subject examines how the Great Depression and World War II permanently changed American politics and society. Topics include the Great Crash, the New Deal, Roosevelt, the home front, the Normandy Invasion, and the atomic bomb. The course materials explore those events through film, novels, newspapers, and other historical documents.
The MIT OCW site for this course includes a rich collection of images that support and illustrate the lecture topics from "The End of Prosperity" to "Legacies for Postwar America." Click on "Related Resources" to see the large image gallery available online:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/RelatedResources/detail/images.htm
The site also includes a detailed timeline of key events: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/RelatedResources/index.htm
The timeline and the image gallery support the course schedule and objectives outlined in Professor Jacobs' syllabus: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/Syllabus/index.htm
The timeline and the image gallery should also help MIT OCW users complete the reading questions in the "Assignments" section of the site: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/History/21H-126America-in-Depression-and-WarSpring2003/Assignments/index.htm
3. Technology Tip of the Month
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As the MIT OCW site continues to grow and evolve, we are focused on providing robust search and cross-referencing capabilities for users, based on metadata tags. Currently, the site's search is somewhat limited, but users are still able to perform some advanced searches: Exact Phrase - If you would like to search for an exact phrase, use double quotes (" ") around the phrase in the Search Box. Including/Excluding Words - In order to limit the search, you can use special characters that require words to be included or excluded. For example, a plus sign (+) in front of a word will require that word(s) be in all of the returned results; a minus sign (-) in front of a word will require that the word not be contained in all of the returned results. Using a Wildcard - Wildcard characters are helpful in searching for words that are similar to the word(s) entered. The wildcard character is the asterisk (*) and it can be used only at the end of a word. So "build*" is a valid search word, but "b*d" is not. This type of search has limitations. For example, it may not return documents that have whole words matching the text preceding the asterisk.
For more search tips that will optimize your experience with MIT course materials: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/OCWHelp/search-help.htm
4. A Frequently Asked Question
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Q. What are the prerequisites for MIT OCW courses?
A. Because MIT OCW is not a distance-learning or degree- granting initiative, there is no registration process required for users to view course materials. MIT OCW is a publication of the course materials that support the dynamic classroom interactions of an MIT education. MIT OCW is available on the Web, free of charge, to any user anywhere in the world.
There are also no prerequisites for users who utilize MIT OCW course materials in their own learning. If you would like to read about the prerequisites that MIT students must have completed before taking individual courses at the Institute, please visit the online MIT Course Catalog: http://student.mit.edu/catalog/.
To find answers to all of your questions about MIT OCW: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/OCWHelp/help.htm
