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The result is Bird Tango, a short film that starts with Clayton dancing and segues into the intelligence of crows (who are arguably as smart as chimpanzees) and the antics of blue manakins, an Argentine bird so fond of dancing that it would have Alesha Dixon, the Strictly Come Dancing judge, lost for words. Since the film was posted on YouTube’s educational channel last month, more than 15,000 people have viewed it.

“I didn’t realise what a success it would be,” said Clayton. “I’ve been thrilled. It seems to appeal on different levels. It’s great for attracting general interest.”

Although OER is still in its infancy, the numbers are already impressive. In little more than a year more than 845,000 people around the world have accessed Open Learn through iTunes U and downloaded nearly 8m items. In the past month downloads have averaged 400,000 a week.

At MIT the Open CourseWare site is attracting 1.2m visits a month — many from students at other universities looking for additional resources, but many also what MIT calls “self-learners”, often working professionals who want to further their education.

One small study, by the University of New York in Fredonia, even claims that downloading a lecture can be more effective than attending one in person. Researchers compared 64 students, half of whom attended a lecture and half of whom received it via a podcast. In a subsequent test, those who downloaded the podcast performed better — possibly because a podcast allows you to replay difficult parts as and when you want.

Where might it lead? Most academics are not inclined towards cannibalism, let alone self-cannibalism. In an echo of the dilemma facing the newspaper industry, the OU is particularly sensitive to the threat of freely available material undermining its fee-paying business. Although it makes thousands of items available through Open Learn and iTunes U, its full courses, with guidance from tutors, remain separate.

Oxford is equally sensitive. “The Oxford education system is very much focused on the tutorial system, usually one or two to one,” said Culver. “You can’t replicate that in podcasts.”

Nor is the university going to make all its lectures freely available. “That’s not an aspiration,” said Culver. “We just try to find things the outside world will be interested in.”

Although some universities see iTunes U as little more than a handy tool to promote their wares, others are going much further. MIT, which charges students more than £20,000 a year, has put almost 2,000 complete courses online. Even though they can be downloaded for nothing, MIT does not believe this will undermine its position. Rather it calculates that the openness will enable potential students to understand the value of its teaching.

Although 40 years old this year, the internet is still in its infancy, according to John Naughton, professor of the public understanding of technology at the OU. When printing was at the same stage — 40 years after the arrival of the Gutenberg Bible in the mid-15th century — nobody predicted what an enlightening, subversive impact it would have on education and many other aspects of life.

Where OER will lead is unclear. All one can say with confidence is that its reach will undoubtedly grow.

Meanwhile, as Conn contemplates his studies in Brighton he is in no doubt about the value of what is already available on Open Learn.

“Okay, you don’t get a qualification from it,” he said, “but if you’ve got enthusiasm for anything you can search . . . And even if you don’t want to pursue a course, you’ll still get a rough understanding of what you wanted to know.”

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