The Free Software Foundation (FSF; initiated by Students for Free Culture (SFC)) define an open university as one in which:

  1. The research produced is open access;
  2. The course materials are open educational resources;
  3. The university embraces free software and open standards;
  4. The university’s patents are readily licensed for free software, essential medicine, and the public good;
  5. The university’s network reflects the open nature of the Internet.
A mobile, free-knowledge wifi? Symbol of an open university?

The FSF goes further, to list specific criteria for each of these open university principles and university-rankings based on their degree of openness: Open University Report Cards.

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