OERu/OERu 15.10 Meeting/Issues raised for 2015 CEOs meeting

Objective

The objective of this page is to list issues to be tabled at the Council of Chief Executive Officers meeting on Friday 9 October 2015 that were identified during the course of the OERu partner's meeting.

Decision proposals arising from the 15.10 partner's meeting

1. Achieve minimum viable product (MVP) for the OERu 1st year of study as delineated during the partners meeting
   • Complete programme specification document for the OERu 1st year of study based on the action steps recommended by the partners meeting.
   • 10 courses completed and delivered leading to an appropriate exit credential. Courses to be hosted on a common platform and available from OERu.org
   • Adopt an expression of interest model where partners are invited to nominate and assemble courses to complete the MVP.
   • Establish a programme director role and corresponding funding proposals to support the role.
   • Identify stream co-ordinators to provide oversight in ensuring completion of MVP. Stream coordinators will liaise with the curriculum and programme of study working group.
2. Approve the OERu Credit Transfer and Credit Accumulation guidelines with recommendation for the Standing Committee for Credit Transfer to initiate consultative development of supporting processes and implementation guidelines.
3. Endorse process for approval of 2016 operational priorities and KPIs
   • Note: OERu Strategic Plan 2015 -2017 was approved at November 2014 CEOs meeting
   • Task the Strategic Planning working group to refine priorities and KPIs recommended during the 2015.10 partner's meeting.
   • Distribute revised plan to OERu primary focal points and copy to CEOs for comment.
   • Task the CEOs executive committee to approve the 2016 priorities and KPIs.
4. Refinements to the institutional action plan (IAP) process
   • Improve briefing process for the IAP call taking institutional readiness into account
   • Design process so that the OERu IAP call is made from the executive
   • Include option in the IAP for collaboration with network partners
5. Open business model dissemination
   • Prepare 1-page cover sheet and distribute OERF and OERu partner business models as a resource for partners to increase return on investment from the OERu partner network.
6. Recommendations to minimise barriers of participation. The top three barriers to engagement identified by the Input evaluation survey in order of priority are:
   1. Competing demands on time and resources to maintain OERu project momentum.
   2. Lack of exemplars of OERu courses which demonstrate the end-to-end process from course nomination, through to design, delivery and awarding of credit.
   3. Varying levels of expertise and experience in OER, cooperative design models and designing materials for mobile devices.

Redacted version of issues arising from the partner's meeting

1. Marketing, communications, and fund development
   • Partner recruitment: Selected CEOs to help formulate strategy on how to sell the OERu case to CEOs including a clear summary of benefits to achieve 30 new partners by December 2017 (15 new partners by December 2016).
   • Student recruitment: Establish team to develop marketing strategy for recruiting OERu learners
   • Fund development: Corporate sponsorship and diversifying grant-based revenue
2. Open technologies
   • Invite all partner institutions to nominate an appropriate staff member with relevant IT /Educational Technology skills to join the OERu technology working group.
3. Consideration of what OERu partners need to have in place in order to engage effectively in the OERu (institutional readiness)
4. Establish mentoring model to support new and recent members.
   • How should staff contributions be recognised?
5. How are OERu partners recognised?

Record of initial issues raised during partners meeting

1. CEOs to help formulate strategies on how to sell the OERu case to CEOs, including formulating a clear summary of benefits
2. Moving from a nomination model of courses for a Bachelor in General Studies only, to include an expression of interest model based on a framework of targeted programs focussed on providing jobs for students agreed to by partners
3. Advise on how to progress and implement the OERu IAP process (getting organisational sign off, responsible people)
4. Recommendations for progressing marketing
5. What do OERu institutions need to have in place to engage in the OERu implementation
6. Inviting local technical staff at partner institutions to join the OERu technology working group.
7. Marketing - refine focus
8. Completed program of full courses leading to a credential
9. How to sell the OERu case to CEOs – clear summary of benefits to meet recruitment objectives
10. Based on the possible proactive dissemination of the aggregated open business model, delineate strategies/initiatives for creating awareness of the potential of OERu to generate more affordable access to higher education. The target audience for the proposed increasing awareness initiative should include politicians/government officials, who are responsible for policy-making associated with the funding of higher education, and who are (in many cases) increasingly concerned about the lack of fiscal sustainability of existing systems.
11. Funding mechanisms to support a Programme Director
12. Approval of credit transfer
13. Mentoring programme - encourage early implementation for new and recent members (recognising staff contributions)
14. MVP - reducing the barrier of time and resources
15. Themes - programme directors