OERu/Getting started with OERu/Working group participants

Representatives attending the 3^rd meeting of OERu partners in Hobart.

The OERu is an open collaboration. Anyone with an interest in helping to shape the future of open education with the OERu is free to join and participant in our working groups.

Participants

The following characteristics provide more information on working group participants:

• The majority of participants on active working groups are staff members at OERu partner institutions
• The working groups are international as the OERu has partner institutions spanning six major regions of the world.
• The time spent on working group activities is recognised as part of the 0.2 full time equivalent (FTE) staff time contribution from Gold tier partner institutions.
• Participants self-nominate according to their own interests or are assigned by their organisations to serve on active working groups.
• Many participants serve on more than one working group
• The OERu network aims to have at least one active working group participant from each OERu partner institution as this provides valuable insight and tacit knowledge on how the OERu operates.

Conveners

The OERu is a meritocracy where community leadership roles are assigned according to merit as determined by experience in the related field and history of contributions to the OERu collaboration. However, as an open collaboration all contributions are considered when forming the sense of the group and recorded transparently in WikiEducator.

• Each working group has a primary convener who represents the working group on the OERu Management Committee.
• Working groups may nominate co-conveners in different time zones to assist with convening synchronous meetings.

Responsibilities of conveners

Brian Lamb, convener of the Technology group providing feedback at the 3^rd meeting of OERu partners

Conveners are responsible for:

• Ensuring that all participants who have registered to participate in a working group are invited to join the respective group's online discussion list.
• Moderating their group's online discussion list on groups.oeru.org
• Negotiating dates and times for meetings of their working groups.
• Transparent assembly of agendas for meetings in WikiEducator ensuring all participants have the opportunity of raising items for discussion.
• Providing leadership and support to participants to engage effectively with the implementation of the OERu Strategic Plan and achievement of the key performance indicators in the plan.
• Monitoring the activities of related working groups to avoid duplication of effort and to foster cooperation in the network.
• Keeping a public record of meetings and decisions in WikiEducator.
• Drafting the annual report of the working group activities for the annual OERu partners meeting in collaboration with participants.