FOSSA 101, Session 4

You probably heard of a "cost of living crisis". But did you know about a "cost of learning crisis"? It's a thing.

Learners of all ages - from kindergarten kids to university students and adult lifelong learners - are finding it too expensive to learn.

This happens everywhere. In the US, college textbooks are now over 900% more expensive than in 1978 (the average price index rose by about 300% in the meantime). In England, students are finding it hard to live on the support money they receive.

So you see, this isn't just a problem in a country somewhere far away. Chances are, there are people in your home town who aren't learning because they can't find the money for it.

What does it look like?

Sometimes learners still do their best: they buy second-hand materials, or share someone else's login, or photocopy what they can. Sometimes, teachers and librarians help out - I know of schools where a big chunk of teachers' own money goes to making sure that everyone has the Learning Things they need.

But sometimes it's more serious than that, and it just looks like giving up.

Another year away from college because the home budget just won't stretch that far. Another year with no company training budget, because we're still licking our wounds after being stung by that one "training provider" who overcharged us for years. Another outreach project cancelled, because the volunteers wouldn't get training or materials for the workshops.

And the worst thing about giving up is: this sentiment spreads and lingers like a nasty, depressing cloud. Once someone gives up, it's tough to get them to come round again.

Once you've spent some time thinking "I can't afford college", you'll probably keep thinking that all college is equally expensive. Once you've given up on finding good prices on materials to put on your library computers, you'll keep believing that they all cost this much.

So even if good times come around - the home budget looks healthy, the company finances allow for a training quota - you'll still remain convinced: "Nah, it costs too much. Better spend it elsewhere."

Experiment 1: F stands for "Free"

FOSSA is a collection of five experiments in learning design. Each experiment is a search for a solution. You know the first problem by now - here's how I describe the first experiment:

Free: You will provide a fully functional version of your Learning Thing which comes at no cost to the learner.

It's a big ask, I know. Maybe an impossible ask, and that's also fair to conclude. But I would still like to see you try. Here's why, and how.

First of all - if you think that giving something away for free is absurd in this economy, and in this line of work - I would like you to look at the stats on the prices of college textbooks again. 900% more expensive. In the age of computers, and the internet, and Wikipedia, and other such advances. Isn't this absurd, too?

And secondly - I never said that you are to stop making money on your Learning Thing. The "Free" experiment asks that you provide a free (and fully functional) version of your Learning Thing - not that this is to be the ONLY version of the thing.

You must have seen this a thousand times yourself. A programming book you can read online for free - or buy a PDF download. A course which covers all the material in its free version - but provides video tutorials as a paid bonus. Online training which you can "audit" without paying a cent - and which charge you later, if you wish to buy the certificate. Or a "pay what you can" download.

I've used free and paid versions of these kinds of solutions. And I keep finding new ones online.

Learning Things don't all need to come with a price tag.

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A quick note on "fully functional"

There are many ways to make "Free" work as part of FOSSA experiments. I've described some of them above, and you'll find your own ideas. But first, one ask:

Don't cut the vital stuff. That's not FOSSA.

Each of the FOSSA experiments will use the phrase "fully functional" in its description. Here's the easiest way to describe this:

If there was an exam in what I'm trying to learn from your Learning Thing, and if the exam covered 100% of what is in your Learning Thing, it should be impossible for me to fail after learning 100% of your Learning Thing.

Charge for the bells and whistles. Charge for the bonus content. Charge for something - anything - your company does best. I want you to get rich building your Learning Things!

But the important stuff - that's not getting paywalled. None of it. If the exam changes, then - if you're still in the FOSSA game - your "Free" version changes to reflect that.

How would you go about it? Ways of working will change, but here's what I would always want to do if I were to start building a Free Learning Thing.

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Making "Free" work - ten FOSSA ideas

1. Get all the buy-in and permissions you need, early on in the project. Be crystal clear that you'll be launching a free version of your Learning Thing. Be especially clear with authors, contributors, and rights / legal department, if you have them.
   
2. Aim to stay 100% clear on all the "fully functional" things you need. Down to every last lesson, paragraph, map, image, recording, photograph. Make it part of someone's job to always know what the "fully functional" part is, and to protect it.
3. Connected to the point above: getting this right means you're also 100% clear on the "chargeable" bits. If you know what belongs to the free core, then you can also be pragmatic about deciding: no, that's extra, we're charging for that feature.
4. Learner stories and learner personas are your tools for getting clarity on points 2 and 3 above. Make them as diverse, vivid, and realistic as possible. Update them often: does your "Alice" or "Bob" still use a "PDA"?
5. If you're new to FOSSA, pick your first experiment project carefully. Especially if someone's money is at stake. Maybe don't make your flagship money-making Learning Thing a freebie overnight.
6. Connected to the point above: pick the right timing for the experiment. If you're 80% into building a prestigious Learning Thing, it may be tricky to have a "Free is good" conversation, because everyone wants to launch and cash in. But if you're just about to start something new, and smaller, and more speculative - I'm predicting more favourable conditions here.
7. If you're building more than one Learning Thing, know your list well. Know how your Things perform. Then it's easier to pick a good experiment candidate for FOSSA. Are any of the Learning Things due for an update? Is there less competition for some of them? And / or maybe these learners are no longer willing to spend as much as they used to?
8. Hiding your "Free" version in a tiny footnote at the bottom of a page is a bad look.
9. U-turning on a promise of a "Free" version of your Learning Thing, and no longer offering it, is a terrible look: people will get old copies of your Learning Thing from the internet anyway, while bad-mouthing you to anyone who'll listen.
10. Creative Commons licenses (look them up) allow you to decide how you want your free Learning Things to be shared.

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