Cervantes Free University and Learning Cooperative

The Cervantes Free University and Learning Cooperative is a faculty and student initiative to support the "Cooperative Learning" Pillar of the WashU Coop (www.washucoop.com). We provide free web-hosting service for a variety of college courses, co-curricular courses, and reading groups, and we facilitate learning opportunities of all kinds. We hope the nascent CFU/LC will serve the Skinker-DeBaliviere and Greater St Louis communities as well as Washington University, helping to break down the "WashU bubble." Oberlin College has an experimental college, providing limited academic credit to students who tutor local youth, or teach each other practical skills, such as bicycle maintenance or baking, or living cooperatively. MIT has its OpenCourseWare site, providing online, free versions of most of its courses, as a public service. Both are successful programs, benefiting the sponsoring institution and the community. Why can't this work here? We believe it can, with or without formal University support.