ExplOERer

ExplOERer:

ExplOERer: Supporting OER re-use in learning ecosystems

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edit   About The ExplOERer project (pronounced ‘explorer’) is a European Commission co-funded project, under the Erasmus+ [1] programme. The project duration is from September 2014 to August 2016. ExplOERer promotes OER sustainability through OER adoption and embeddedness in professional practice. The consortium will identify, document and assess obstacles and opportunities, and analyse current practice in the use of OER, including the sustainability aspect. This will be achieved by capitalising on opportunities in cross-boundary contexts in which OER are part of innovation, and by developing education practitioners’ digital and pedagogical skills regarding OER reuse and repurposing. Several types of learning contexts are addressed, including adult education, higher education and the workplace. The project adopts a cross-sectoral approach by involving six European partners: three Higher Education Institutions, a Ministry of Education supporting a large OER repository, a private company specialising in OER and social networking/gaming, and a non-profit organisation leading the field in open licensing and open education. The results of the project will be produced in partner languages (EN, GR, NL, PL and SE) and widely disseminated through regional, national, European and international channels. edit   Rationale The European Commission has identified support for the production and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) as a strategic priority, key to addressing the current need to rethink and develop education in a way that is compatible with societal development and development of the skills required in the 21st century. However, in spite of a clear case for framing OER as a contributor to innovation in education, the picture that emerges from recent research reveals several obstacles that need to be overcome for OER to have a substantial impact on education and society. Limited reuse and repurposing of OER by educators, manifested by a tendency to use OER as supplementary rather than primary material, have been attributed to several factors: uneven supply, lack of official policies or incentives for reuse, limited proof of effectiveness and lack of digital and pedagogical skills on the part of educators. The substantial political and philanthropic investment in OER has so far mostly focused on the supply side, but there is now a growing need to increase the uptake of OER by educational practitioners and learners. Fostering reuse of OER and engagement in Open Educational Practice (OEP) is essential if education is to move from the current, static OER landscape to one in which OER and OEP play a major role in a vibrant and sustainable learning ecosystem. The ExplOERer project (pronounced ‘explorer’) promotes OER sustainability through OER adoption and embeddedness in professional practice. The consortium will identify, document and assess obstacles and opportunities, and analyse current practice in the use of OER, including the sustainability aspect. This will be achieved by capitalising on opportunities in cross-boundary contexts in which OER are part of innovation, and by developing education practitioners’ digital and pedagogical skills regarding OER reuse and repurposing. Several types of learning contexts are addressed, including adult education, higher education and the workplace. The project will target the following intellectual outputs: Co-creation of guidelines for training of adult educators on OER reuse. This process will directly involve teachers to increase engagement and improve sustainability. Development of training materials and teacher training in OER reuse and digital skills through an Open Online Course. More dynamic OER infrastructures by means of embedding social networking and gaming mechanics in OER repositories. Stimulation and support for policy development regarding OER uptake through three multiplier events, online and face-to-face expert seminars resulting in policy recommendations. The project adopts a cross-sectoral approach by involving six European partners: three Higher Education Institutions, a Ministry of Education supporting a large OER repository, a private company specialising in OER and social networking/gaming, and a non-profit organisation leading the field in open licensing and open education. The results of the project will be produced in partner languages (EN, GR, NL, PL and SE) and widely disseminated through regional, national, European and international channels. edit   Disclaimer This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

edit   Partners Gothenburg University, Sweden Linda Bradley and Sylvi Vigmo (project coordinators). Glasgow Caledonian University Allison Littlejohn (local coordinator) and Isobel Falconer Web2Learn, Greece Ioannis Lefkos, Giulia Torresin and Katerina Zourou (local coordinator) The Open University Anna Comas-Quinn (local coordinator) and Hélène Pulker Centrum Cyfrowe. Projekt: Polska Anna Stokowska and Alek Tarkowski (local coordinator) Flemish Ministry of Education, Belgium - Klascement community Hans De Four (local coordinator) and Bram Faems edit   Events November 3-5, 2014, 1st project meeting in Thessaloniki/Greece A great ppportunity to meet each other in person! ExplOERer team July 2015, 2nd project meeting at Milton Keynes, UK. Host is the Open University, UK.Dates to be determined. edit   Work packages 1) Co-creation of guidelines for training of adult educators on OER reuse. This process will directly involve teachers to increase engagement and improve sustainability. This set of activities is led by Allison Littlejohn and Isobel Falconer 2) Development of training materials and teacher training in OER reuse and digital skills through an Open Online Course. This set of activities is led by Anna Comas-Quinn 3) Design improvements by means of embedding social networking and gaming mechanics in OER repositories. This set of activities is led by Katerina Zourou 4) Stimulation and support for policy development regarding OER uptake through three multiplier events, online and face-to-face expert seminars resulting in policy recommendations. This set of activities is led by Alek Tarkowski. edit   Contact Visit our website! [2] Follow us at #ExplOERer on twitter! Check our slides on Slideshare! [3] Contact us at exploererproject [at] gmail com by replacing [at] with @