Redefining openness: a vision for Open Practices
Gráinne Conole,
The Open University, UK
Keynote, EFQUEL Conference, Lisbon, 9th September 2010
+ Orientation
Focus

Open, social and
participatory media

A vision of openness –
Open Practices

Designing and using OER
 Olnet
 OPAL

Open Educational
Resource Practices (OEP)
 Definition
 Derivation
 The OPAL OEP quality
cube
Social inclusion
Innovation
Quality
Open, social and participatory media
Media sharing
New tools/practices are
leading to new forms of
learning and teaching
Blogs & wikis
Social networking
Sharing
Communicating
Web 2.0
Virtual worlds
Shift from:
Web 1.0 – content repository and static information
Web 2.0 – user generated content and social
mediation
Networking
Interacting
A typology of new technologies
Technology
Examples
Media sharing
Flckr, YouTube, Slideshare, Sketchfu
Media manipulation and mash ups
Geotagged photos on maps,Voicethread
Instant messaging, chat, web 2.0 forums
MSN, Paltalk, Arguementum
Online games and virtual worlds
WorldofWarcraft, SecondLife
Social networking
Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin, Elgg, Ning
Blogging
Wordpress, Edublog, Twitter
Social bookmarking
Del.icio.us, Citeulike, Zotero
Recommender systems
Digg, LastFm, Stumbleupon
Wikis and collaborative editing tools
Wikipedia, GoogleDocs, Bubbl.us
Syndication/RSS feeds
Bloglines, Podcast, GoogleReader
(Conole and Alevizou, 2010), Review of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/1895
Redefining openness…
Design
Courses design
& shared openly
Peer critiquing
Delivery
Use of free
tools &
resources
What is/will be the impact
Repurposing
of an increasingly open
Open mediated
technologically
practices
Networkinglearning
environment Inquiry
in
learning and teaching?
Sharing
Research
Sharing of
research data
Collective
intelligence
Evaluation
Critical
reflection
Also see Alex Couros, Edmedia, 2010
Digital skills (Jenkins, et al., 2008)
Play
Visualisation
Performance
Negotiation
Appropriation
Simulation
Multi-tasking
Networking
Distributed cognition
Transmedia navigation
Collective intelligence
Judgment
Basic definition
The open provision of educational resources, enabled by
information and communication technologies, for
consultation, use and adaptation by a community of users
for non-commercial purposes (UNESCO 2002)
Broader definition
Learning resources
Courseware, content modules, learning objects, learner
support & assessment tools, online learning communities
Resources to support teachers
Tools for teachers and support materials to enable them to
create, adapt and use OER; training materials for teachers
Resources to assure the quality of education and educational
practices (UNESCO 2004)
Pedagogically rich
OER models
 Level
of granularity
 ‘Atomistic’: based
around learning objects (Merlot)
 ‘Holistic: aligned to course structures (MIT)
 Format
 Simple, primarily
text-based
 Rich multi-faceted multimedia
 Pedagogy
 Relatively
neutral
 Embedded
A vision of transformation
Beyond content – focus on activity and use
Learners as self-directed and autonomous
More of a focus on sharing, refinement,
iteration, critical reflection
OER as a potential catalyst to transforming
educational practice
Improvements in social inclusion, quality
and innovation
The reality gap
Paradoxes
Technologies not fully exploited
Little evidence of use of OER
Predominance of ‘old practices’
Media sharing
Blogs & wikis
Reasons
Technical, pedagogical,
organisational…
“Lack of time, research vs. teaching,
lack of skills, no rewards, no
support….”
Solutions?
Virtual worlds &
online games
Models and frameworks
Learning design
Pedagogical patterns
Open Educational Resources
Social networking
Exploring/applying “openness”
Delivery
Use of free
tools &
resources
Design
Courses design
& shared openly
Open
Research
Sharing of
research data
Evaluation
Critical
reflection
Open Design
Open Research
X-Delia
Open Evaluation
Open Delivery
Cloudworks

A space for sharing and
discussing learning and
teaching ideas

Application of web 2.0
practice

Examples for teachers &
learners to share/discuss

A space for collaboration
& communication

Helps develop skills
needed for engaging
with new technologies’
Title
Author
Core
Tags
Location
Discussions
Improvements
Olnet: Open Learning network
From producing open
resources to use of open
resources
•Build capacity
•Find evidence
•Refine the issues
Network
Research
Fellowships
Conole, McAndrew & Demtriadis, Forthcoming
Learning analytics: gather & representing data
Conference, Canada, February 2011
Conole, McAndrew & Demtriadis, Forthcoming
OER
Teacher A
Creates
Design
Learner A
OER
Design
Deposits
Chooses
Learner B
Deposits
Uses
Uses
Repurposes
Teacher B & deposits
Quiz + beginners route
Quiz + advanced route
From resources to practices
The OPAL vision
Focus on the practice around OER rather than the
resources
Better understanding will lead to improvements in
the quality of OER and more innovation
Open Educational Resource Practice
OEP constitute the range of practices around the
creation, use and management of OER with the
intent to improve quality and innovate education.
22
Abstracting dimensions of Practice
Approach
60+ case studies of OER collected
Dimensions of OEP derived
Derivation of the OEP cube model
Validation
Spotlight on OER on Cloudworks
EDEN workshop
OER activity on Cloudworks
Ongoing online consultation
process
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2105
Validation: OER activity on Cloudworks

27 Cloudscapes and 13 Clouds
evaluated

Kinds of activities
 Reviews, events, debates,
other
 Intentional, practical, social

Types of Clouds
 Instructional, informational,
archival Notes, resource
aggregator, project
descriptions, discussion &
debate spaces, interviews
Alevizou et al. 2010
Emergent issues from OER research

Motivations for sharing and
incentives for participation

Financial sustainability and
licensing jurisdictions

OER tracking, usage patterns
and users motivations

Quality and credentials

Effectiveness metrics

Types of research and
dissemination of empirical
results

Linking research with policy
and practice
The OEP cube model
THE DIMENSION: What?





THE CONTEXT: Where?




Strategies and Policies
Barriers and Success Factors
Tools and Tool Practices
Skills Development and Support
Macro level (society)
Meso level (organisation)
Micro level (individuals)
MATURITY: How well is it established?




Initial (not yet started)
Managed
Defined
Optimizing (embedded / advanced)
CONTEXT

26
Refining the dimension
Partnership Models
Strategies & Policies
Business Models
Sustainability Strategies
Barriers and Success
Factors
CONTEXT
QA models
27
Barriers
Success Factors
Tools
Tools & tool practices
Tool Practices
Skills Development &
Support
Digital Literacy
Support structures and
processes
12 skills of evolving digital
literacy
Henry Jenkins
CYBERLEARNING REPORT
Maturity View
INITIAL (not yet started): Process
unpredictable, poorly controlled and
reactive

MANAGED: Process characterized for
projects and is often reactive.

DEFINED: Process characterized for the
organisation and is proactive (Projects
tailor their process from the organisation’s
standard)

OPTIMIZING (embedded / advanced):
Process is measured and controlled, the
focus on process improvement
CONTEXT

28
The cube model
29
Levels
Macro-level:
Societal
Meso-level:
Organisation
Micro-level:
Individual
OER
embedded
in strategy
Adapted from diagram by T. Koskinen
Institutional
OER
repository
Uses and benefits
 Three
uses
 Benchmarking
 Guidance
 Reflection and comparison
 Benefits
 Guides
users in understanding how to think
about the key issues.
 Flexible enough to cover the multiple
stakeholders
 Sub-cubes provide practical illustrative examples
 Useful as a mechanism for institutions to selfbenchmark
30
Mapping the case studies
31
Micro
Meso
Macro
Strategies
and policies
Personal
motivations
and goals
Institutional
strategies and
policies in
place
Embedded in
national
policy and
funding
Barriers and
success
factors
Tension
between
research and
teaching
Lack of
appropriate
structure
Lack of
funding or
rewards
Tools and tool Use of web
practices
2.0 tools to
discuss OER
Institutional
OER
repository
National
repository
available
Skills
development
and support
Institutional
Hewett OER
workshops on projects and
OER
OCW
Peer review
and
discussion
Final thoughts
A vision of OEP for inclusion, innovation & quality

Learning and the context of learning have changed

We need new approaches to learning and teaching

How can we harness increasingly sophisticated tools and OERs?

How can we support innovation in the use and reuse of OER?

Will openness enable or restrict social inclusion?

What are the quality implications in an increasingly open context?

How can we ensure research better informs policy and practice?
Sources

Mash ups http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardellard/4524139966/

Molecule http://www.flickr.com/photos/8272941@N07/498827420/

Periodic table http://www.flickr.com/photos/chemheritage/3984920162/

Music sheet http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyaka/21848267/

One world http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2731067095/

World of warcraft http://www.flickr.com/photos/shardsofblue/3981216281/

Questionmark http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3914729343/

http://suifaijohnmak.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/communication-sep08_leskovec_tdef_page_03_480.jpg

Yin-Yang image http://learn4kicks.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/yinyangconceptmap.gif

Imperial collage second life island http://knowledgecast.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/icl-tour2/

Personal Inquiry project http://www.pi-project.ac.uk/resources/

E-Portfolios http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios
Sources

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-android-3-0-and-a-2ghz-processor-06-07-2010/

http://thehottestgadgets.com/2008/05/samsung-to-debut-3m-mini-projectors-with-new-phones-00280

http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/elearning/ipad-is-it-any-good-for-the-classroom-or-learning/

http://www.erwinvanlun.com/images/uploads/SmartGlasses.jpg

OpenLearningInitiative

http://distancelearn.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=distancelearn&cdn=education&tm=6&f=00&su=

Molecule http://www.flickr.com/photos/8272941@N07/498827420/

Periodic table http://www.flickr.com/photos/chemheritage/3984920162/

Music sheet http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyaka/21848267/

One world http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2731067095/

World of warcraft http://www.flickr.com/photos/shardsofblue/3981216281/

Questionmark http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/3914729343/

Crystal ball http://mashable.com/2009/08/20/ted-future/
Sources

iPhone http://virulentwordofmouse.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/iphone.jpg

eBook readers http://wowio.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/reader-options2.jpg