Free! CSI WEB ADVENTURES: While other universities MOOC it out, Rice University is all about shipping good learning products. In February of this year, they launched OpenStax College, a first-of-its-kind initiative for OER textbooks. There's also the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning (CTTL) which offered this sage advice on what constitutes good learning games during EdSurge's tweet chat on games-based learning: “I'd say a problem to solve, control over their own learning, good graphics.” Seems they've put that knowledge to work with their latest collaboration, CSI Web Adventures. The game puts users in the shoes of their favorite crime scene investigator as a hook to learn about forensic science. Sadly there are no teacher guides but it seems that students are progressing just fine on their own. Major funding is provided by the NIH and NSF, and collaborators include the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and CBS.
