Another world first for Otago Polytechnic: OP to offer full credential for the OERu
13 December 2012
| “ | At Otago Polytechnic, we place a high priority on the skills and formal qualifications of our teachers to facilitate the learning journey for our students. As an open organisation, we want to share these opportunities for learning freely with the world using open educational resources. Building the Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education upon a work-based learning philosophy, we are modelling the practice we expect from our educators in their own classrooms and we are committed to helping others achieve these goals. | ” |
| —Phil Ker, Chief Executive | ||
The Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education offers a unique alternative for formal academic recognition in tertiary teaching practice. It is modelled on the internationally recognised paradigm of work-based learning (WBL) in which the learning is situated in the workplace. This programme enables learners to draw on their everyday work contexts to construct knowledge or further develop their tertiary educator practice through exploration, collaboration and conversation in achieving the learning outcomes. The Graduate Diploma embeds opportunities to recognise and build on the existing knowledge and experience of participants with a flexible approach that allows individualised learning pathways to achieve formal academic credit.
| Open Education @ Otago Polytechnic | ||
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Interview with Dr Robin Day, Chair of the OER Foundation and former Deputy Chief Executive at Otago Polytechnic and Dr Wayne Mackintosh, Director, OER Foundation. |
The Dunedin-based institute of technology was the first tertiary education institution in the world to adopt a default Creative Commons Attribution intellectual property policy. As the first New Zealand institution to sign the Cape Town Open Education Declaration, Otago Polytechnic had the foresight to establish the OER Foundation as an independent charitable organisation to support education institutions around the world in achieving their strategic objectives using open education approaches. The OER Foundation is the driving force behind the OERu international partnership of accredited institutions and as the first member organisation of the Foundation, Otago Polytechnic hosted the inaugural meeting for the founding anchor partners of the OERu initiative.
Otago Polytechnic now claims the accolade of the first OERu anchor partner to commit a full credential to the growing suite of OERu course offerings in preparation for the official international launch of the OERu in November, 2013.
| “ | We are excited by the opportunity to offer a full qualification to the OERu community of learners. Its design brings new challenges to address, including how the facilitated work-based courses can be provided using OER and how they can be assessed for credit. This programme will enable tertiary educators to gain new learning through exploration and deeper understanding of their practice. | ” |
| —Sally Pairman, Director: Learning and Teaching | ||
This new qualification aims to provide a number of certification options, including Certificates of Participation and Certificates of Proficiency where learners are formerly assessed, but not necessarily interested in the full credential and formal credentialing services for the Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education.
About Otago Polytechnic
Established in 1890, Otago Polytechnic is the oldest institute of technology in New Zealand. Otago Polytechnic provides excellent learning experiences for a wide range of learners nationally and internationally, and is a cornerstone of the economic, social and cultural development of the Otago region.
About the OER Foundation
OER Foundation 2011 Annual Report (1.6MB pdf download)
About the OER university
See: 5 Things you should know about the OER university network plan
