PCF5:Open Educational Resources

Title of session
... Open Educational Resources...

Session details

 * Date: ... Tuesday 15 July 2008...
 * Time: ... 11.00...
 * Room: ... Elvin Hall...

Session papers

 * Dr. Anuradha Deshmukh, Main Paper (695)
 * Dr. Robin Mason (Panel Member), Comments on OER in relation to OU, UK
 * Dr. Margaret Haughey, OER at Athabasca U

Key Issues that arose in the session

 * 1.Very good exposure of academics and researchers but at this stage of the development of OER there is limited access to students and the public. In Canada for example there is access to students registered in a college or university programme
 * 2.Writers and authors lack the awareness of the specifics of OER resources and the policies governing the use. This is sometimes due to lack of firm well defined policies from research and teaching institutions on the use of OER.
 * 3.Inadequate broadband for the potential expansion of users.
 * 4.Who creates, and who receives? Which part of the world.  There are issues related to our joint participation in the creation of knowledge.
 * 5.If the OER system was fully implemented it will be good for all concerned including publishers. Example, open resources means that learning material can be used and modified by the teachers to make culturally relevant, yet if the resources are only available as a PDF file the material cannot be modified unless new software is available to do so.
 * 6.There are financial benefits resulting from considerably increased exposure, but the challenge is to convince the powers that be to spend a small percentage of the institutions budget on OER.  There is the dichotomy of wanting to do it and at the same time putting restrictions on getting it done.

Points for future action (Policy, recommendations, commitments etc.)

 * 1 .Develop mechanisms to increase access to students and the general public while clarifying policies of use.
 * 2 .An analysis and clear documentation on the value may need to be developed for better understanding of the cost and benefits. This should then lead to institutions and governments increasing their investment in the development and use of OER since it is good for all concerned.
 * 3 .Define the quality standards required for different types of OER – pedagogical quality and academic quality.