Community Engagement/FAQs

What's the catch - is this really free?
Yes. There is no catch.

Yeah, C'mon...
OK.. you have to find someone who will take the free wiki skills training.

How long is the course?
We are adapting a 10-day course to be completed in 5 days. We will be offering it in September / October 2010.

Who pays for the training & why?
It is supported by a grant by the Hewlett Foundation. It is investing in capacity-building for developing open educational resources (OERs)

Why are OERs called 'sustainable?
Yes. We consider OERs to be a 'sustainable and renewable resource' - which can be shared and reused by others, for their own purpose and context.

Is this an innovative model of course delivery?
Yes. It is an online course. It is based on a very cost-effective model of education delivery called the Learning4Content model. We have trained 3,500 people in 120 in 18 months, far exceeding what could be done using traditional models.

Could my organization use this model?
Yes. We encourage this to happen.

Can Social Entrepreneurs share resources?
Yes, of course. We also encourage this.

Can my organization partner with others in this network / community
Yes. We are encouraging networking and sharing and joint-ventures. The wiki makes this process much easier.

Do I publish my materials on the wiki?
Yes.

Can I use my materials in other places besides the wiki?
Yes.

What is the OER Foundation?
The OER Foundation is a non-profit charitable organisation based in NZ, which assists individuals and organisations to achieve their objectives through open content. We oversee the world's largest capacity building project in the formal education sector providing free training to thousands of educators in more than 120 countries.

What is Open Philanthropy?
Open Philanthropy

Who is Randy Fisher (aka Wikirandy)? Why is he doing this?
Randy (aka Wikirandy) serves on WikiEducator's community council.

He is also is a management consultant specializing in facilitating change, online collaboration and engagement. He is based in Ottawa, Canada. His bio/resume. http://www.wikieducator.org/User:Randyfisher

In some cases, organizations may desire additional support, and this is a great way to show his skills and abilities while giving to our Community.