Educators care/OER and ODL

Two big ideas
The first of the two ideas is the big idea of open and distance learning (ODL) which enables large numbers of citizens to participate in learning.

The second idea is the increasing use of technology to deliver education anywhere and anytime, in a flexible and cost-effective manner.



Open Educational Resources (OER) straddle both these ideas.

An overview of open and distance learning
There are many valuable resources available that describe the key concepts of open and distance learning (ODL). One of the best is a training toolkit titled An Overview of Open and Distance Learning that was produced by Commonwealth of Learning and the Asian Development Bank.

This toolkit

TOPIC 1: Introduction to ODL

TOPIC 2: Operational Structures

TOPIC 3: Operational Issues

TOPIC 4: Course Planning and Development

TOPIC 5: Course Delivery and Learner Support

TOPIC 6: Quality, Research, and Evaluation

The five main features of ODL are:


 * Separation of teacher and learner in time or place, or in both time and place
 * Institutional accreditation; that is, learning is accredited or certified by some institution or agency
 * Use of mixed-media courseware, including print, radio, and television broadcasts, video and audio cassettes, computer-based learning and telecommunications
 * Two-way communication allows learners and tutors to interact, as distinguished from the passive receipt of broadcast signals. Communication can be synchronous or asynchronous
 * Possibility of face-to-face meetings for tutorials, learner–learner interaction, library study, and laboratory or practice sessions
 * Use of industrialised processes; that is, in large-scale open and distance learning operations, labour is divided and tasks are assigned to various staff that work together in course development teams

From your list, consider which ideas have worked well for you and which that have not. Can you give reasons why they have not worked?