Jan Hylen (previously at the OECD) presenting via video link for this session.
Despite a trend of growing competition where learning resources are often considered as key intellectual property, there is still much sharing of content between academics and institutions. There seems to be a new culture of openness in HE – Open Source Software, Open Access, Open Educational Resources – content made available over the internet for free and licensed for reuse.
OECD/CERI study setup to look at 4 main issues:
- IPR issures
- How to develop sustainable business models
- Incentives and barriers to produce, use and delivery of open resources
- How to improve access to and usefulness of resources
Firstly a definition – what is an OER?
OER are digitized material offered freely and openly for educators, students and self-learners to use and re-use for teaching, learning and research (UNESCO 2002)
Four areas of development driving OER:
- Technological (improved access, better software)
- Social (increased IT skills, expectations of ‘free’)
- Economical (lower costs, new business models)
- Legal (new licensing – rethinking IP)
Mapping OER movement is challenging – it’s a global movement with a growing number of initiatives and resources. Also remove barriers to access, OER initiatives tend not to require registration – and so poor usage statistics.
Different types of initiatives:
- Publicly or institutionally backed programmes – e.g. OpenLearn, OpenSpires, Open Courseward (MIT)
- Community approach – Open Course, Common Content, Free Curricula Center
- Mixed models – MERLOT, Connexions, ARIADNE
A followup study in 2008 found that the number of resources in 6 major OER initiatives had increased between 30% and 300%; still a large amount in English, but more in other languages; a move from text content to audio-visual and multimedia content (podcasts, video etc.)
A move from the community approach to institutionally supported approach – most initiatives now have institutional support.
According to MIT and Tufts users of OpenCourseWare typically well educated – already holding a degree. Mostly North American based (although this may have changed since) and self-learners (i.e. not use in other institutions)
Teachers asked said they tended to use OERs are a supplement to other materials – generally as smaller chunks. Barriers to using OERs were lack of time, skills and reward systems.
Motivations for producing and sharing OERs:
Governments
- Expaned access to learning
- Bridge gap between informal and formal learning
- Promote lifelong learning
Instituitons
- Altruism
- Leverage on taxpayers money
- “What you give you recieve back improved”
- Good PR and shop window
- Growing competition – new cost recovery models needed
- Stimulat internal improvement, innovation and reuse
Individuals
- Altruistic or community supportive reasons
- Personal non-monetary gain – ego-boost
- Commercial reasons
- It is not worth the effort to keep the resource closed
OECD report “Giving Knowledge for Free”
During Q & A Andy Lane makes the point that you get waves of interest in specific areas – e.g. Darwin bicentenary – but this interest drops off quickly.