Edited by Margaret Elizabeth Richardson, Saturday, 10 Apr 2021, 17:58
Issues in OER
The OER movement has grown and expanded over the past 20 years, starting
with start of the OER movement in 2001 when MIT set the goal of making the
learning materials for all its courses available one the internet. (Weller 2021 H817 Block 2 week 8). Today, the movement encompasses anything to
do with education and learning:
Resources, text books, MOOCS,
data, research, pedagogy, ideas, ... In many different situations:
Formal education - Universities, schools, health care,
companies....
Informal education -
individuals who simply wish to learn because they can
In the same way as when the internet started anyone could publish anything
they wished on a website (and they still can with little regulation), now it
seems that anyone a can decide to publish a course, research data, ideas, etc
and follow up or not as they feel. And these OER are not always peer reviewed. It seems to me that OER in the broadest sense is
potentially just as unregulated as the internet and no-one is responsible for
what is presented.
I see this as where the formal educational institutions have a role to
play. To maintain the quality of what is offered and ensure the sustainability
of the OER movement before it is too late. In his book “The Battle for Open", Martin
Weller suggests that the current issues around openness in education boil down
to 'responsibility and ownership'. Perhaps it is for formal educational institutions
to own the movement and take on the responsibility for OER, ensuring that:
The OER are
sustainable – independent of a specific champion or financial backer.
Barriers to uptake are
reduced
Pedagogy is adapted to
employ OER effectively
OER need to be sustainable
The report “Journeys to Open Educational Practice” identifies the growth
of communities of practice around OER as a way forward, but warns against the
community becoming too institutionalised and not truly open. Funding is clearly a challenge, but it seems
to me that funding is more likely when there is a sustainable project. The report identifies practices where institution
are building on what they already know to develop open practice around
OER. They are supporting a culture of openness
where departments collaborate and curriculum development is shared and policies
may be developed to ensure longevity. There
is a danger of squashing creativity and as Anna wrote (Forum post H817-21B W7 “Identifying
priorities for research”) , these policies need to have “flexibility to innovate built in.”
Barriers to uptake are reduced
Barriers experienced by students may include speed of internet access, cost
of materials, language ability, study skills, cultural bias in the OER. JISC identifies a move towards a more student
centred approach in the use of OER where
both teachers and students gain confidence in its effective use which in turn leads
to further uptake. Barriers to uptake by
institution depend on the sustainability and the willingness of eth teachers to engage
with OER. This leads to the next section:
Pedagogy adapted to employ OER effectively
The OER Evidence Report finds: “There
is strong evidence that OER use and exposure leads to reflection on practice by
educators. It causes them to incorporate a wider range of content, to consider
different teaching approaches and to reflect upon their role as educator.”
If this is the case, then it seems to me that the institutions need to
support this process by allowing teachers time for reflection and adaptation, and
making this part of their own practices. McGill identifies this along with the need for
digital training to support these changes. OER has
the capacity to support a change to a more open, student centred and/or student
led pedagogy where teacher and learner are co-contributors. For this to be most effective, collaboration
and the development of open communities
of practice are key for success.
Weller, M 2014 The Battle For Open: How openness won and why
it doesn’t feel like victory. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: http://
dx.doi.org/10.5334/bam (Accessed 3 April
2020).
Exploring OER Issues
Issues in OER
The OER movement has grown and expanded over the past 20 years, starting with start of the OER movement in 2001 when MIT set the goal of making the learning materials for all its courses available one the internet. (Weller 2021 H817 Block 2 week 8). Today, the movement encompasses anything to do with education and learning: Resources, text books, MOOCS, data, research, pedagogy, ideas, ... In many different situations:
Formal education - Universities, schools, health care, companies....
Informal education - individuals who simply wish to learn because they can
In the same way as when the internet started anyone could publish anything they wished on a website (and they still can with little regulation), now it seems that anyone a can decide to publish a course, research data, ideas, etc and follow up or not as they feel. And these OER are not always peer reviewed. It seems to me that OER in the broadest sense is potentially just as unregulated as the internet and no-one is responsible for what is presented.
I see this as where the formal educational institutions have a role to play. To maintain the quality of what is offered and ensure the sustainability of the OER movement before it is too late. In his book “The Battle for Open", Martin Weller suggests that the current issues around openness in education boil down to 'responsibility and ownership'. Perhaps it is for formal educational institutions to own the movement and take on the responsibility for OER, ensuring that:
OER need to be sustainable
The report “Journeys to Open Educational Practice” identifies the growth of communities of practice around OER as a way forward, but warns against the community becoming too institutionalised and not truly open. Funding is clearly a challenge, but it seems to me that funding is more likely when there is a sustainable project. The report identifies practices where institution are building on what they already know to develop open practice around OER. They are supporting a culture of openness where departments collaborate and curriculum development is shared and policies may be developed to ensure longevity. There is a danger of squashing creativity and as Anna wrote (Forum post H817-21B W7 “Identifying priorities for research”) , these policies need to have “flexibility to innovate built in.”
Barriers to uptake are reduced
Barriers experienced by students may include speed of internet access, cost of materials, language ability, study skills, cultural bias in the OER. JISC identifies a move towards a more student centred approach in the use of OER where both teachers and students gain confidence in its effective use which in turn leads to further uptake. Barriers to uptake by institution depend on the sustainability and the willingness of eth teachers to engage with OER. This leads to the next section:
Pedagogy adapted to employ OER effectively
The OER Evidence Report finds: “There is strong evidence that OER use and exposure leads to reflection on practice by educators. It causes them to incorporate a wider range of content, to consider different teaching approaches and to reflect upon their role as educator.”
If this is the case, then it seems to me that the institutions need to support this process by allowing teachers time for reflection and adaptation, and making this part of their own practices. McGill identifies this along with the need for digital training to support these changes. OER has the capacity to support a change to a more open, student centred and/or student led pedagogy where teacher and learner are co-contributors. For this to be most effective, collaboration and the development of open communities of practice are key for success.
References
de los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Perryman, L.-A., Pitt, R. and Weller, M. (2014), OER Evidence Report 2013–2014, OER Research Hub [Online]. Available at https://oerresearchhub.files.wordpress.com/ 2014/ 11/ oerrh-evidence-report-2014.pdf (Accessed 20 March 2020).
McGill, L., Falconer, I., Dempster, J.A., Littlejohn, A. and Beetham, H. (2013) Journeys to Open Educational Practice: UKOER/SCORE Review Final Report, London, JISC [Online]. Available at https://oersynth.pbworks.com/ w/ page/ 60338879/ HEFCE-OER-Review-Final-Report (Accessed 20 March 2020).
Weller, M 2014 The Battle For Open: How openness won and why it doesn’t feel like victory. London: Ubiquity Press. DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.5334/bam (Accessed 3 April 2020).