The extremely popular Wikipedia has launched a new endeavor: Wikiversity. Wikiversity is an open-source, free ' university' geared towards students. Although Wikiversity cannot yet offer accreditation for courses, they are considering working towards it.

The subjects offered are already extensive, and a student can find anything from astronomy to music to beyond.

The fact that the site is a wiki (a website that allows users to edit the content themselves) adds a fascinating dimension.

Wiki Books offers more information:The main goal of Wikiversity is not just to impart knowledge but to facilitate learning. The collaborative model of the wiki will be applied to an e-learning framework. This differs significantly from a classic university model, although it does acknowledge the growing acceptance of a social theory of learning in pedagogical and academic practice.

Wikiversity will not prohibit research, though it need not necessarily be a part of every course. In the technical training aspects of its work, its goal is not to discover new things, but to teach things which are already known to new people. At a higher level of education, there will probably have to be some scope for students to do their own research, whether a survey of the literature or of primary research, though this will have to be monitored carefully, and will be dependent on the type of course offered.

Wikiversity does not yet certify student's mastery. We currently have no way of assuring who is doing the work for a course. We have no way ensuring that every course that would be required for a degree has enough teachers to even attempt it. We attempt to teach the same material many accredited schools do, and to teach the material as well (or better!).

What could this mean for the future of online education? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out.