OERu/Planning/OERu MVP task force/Terms of reference

Defining MVP

Definition

Minimum viable product (MVP) is the product with the highest return on investment versus risk. It contains the core features that allow the product to be deployed and no more. It is the version of a product which allows the OERu to collect the maximum amount of information about our learners, delivery model and market with the least amount of cost.

The 2015 meeting of partners agreed that the OERu will implement a minimum viable product of courses for a first year of study leading to an exit credential which models an "end-to-end" process to demonstrate the complete OERu scenario for partner institutions from concept design to credit award.

Aim of the task force

The MVP task force is a dedicated group established on recommendation of the OERu Management Committee to focus on and facilitate the completion of a free first year of study for OERu learners.

The task force will function as a community support and leadership group to ensure successful completion of the OERu MVP.

Criteria for success

Phase 1: Assembly and delivery of courses

The OERu will achieve MVP for phase 1 when we have:

• A minimum of 10 exemplar courses
• Completed and available for delivery by September 2016
• Hosted on a common platform (authored in WikiEducator and published via WordPress on courses.oeru.org)
• Available from one location (OERu.org) from which students can participate
• Upon course completion students are to be directed to OERu institutions providing assessment, where they could achieve a credit-based assessment, providing transcript credit that would be awarded, badged and recognised towards an exit credential.

Phase 2: Ongoing delivery and evaluation

The OERu will achieve MVP for phase 2 when:

• All MVP courses have been available for a minimum of one offering
• Process evaluation has been completed.

Purpose of the MVP task force

The MVP task force:

1. Guides and supports the implementation of the OERu 1st year of study.
2. Functions as an "open think tank" and "meeting space" for key stakeholders to guide the implementation of MVP feeding into the work of the OERu organisational structures and associated decision-making processes.
3. Brings together appropriate community leadership, practitioners and volunteers to coordinate and implement MVP.
4. Provides an authentic OERu environment to develop community leadership skills and gain experience in the OERu operations.

Membership

Membership will be open to anyone interested in helping to implement MVP for the OERu first year of study. The task force will comprise:

• Community leaders with experience in OERu operations
• Staff from OERu partners working on the assembly of courses for MVP
• Volunteers
• List of members

Meetings

We anticipate scheduling synchronous online meetings every 6 weeks. Two sessions will be hosted to accommodate different time zones, that is: Oceania / North America and Africa / Europe.

How meetings are scheduled

1. The OER Foundation will set up a Doodle poll with prospective dates and times for the two regions.
2. Members of the task force will be invited to respond to the poll by a specified deadline via the task force list on oeru.groups.org.
3. Based on the responses and priorities of the task force, the meeting date will be fixed.
4. The OERF will send out a calendar invite and announce the meeting dates and times on the task force list.

How to engage

Signup on the OERu MVP task force list on oeru.groups.org. Announcements and discussions are hosted on this list.

Communication technologies

Option	Purpose
#OERu Chat	Ideal for immediate feedback on questions. (Note: This channel is usually monitored by OERF staff during daylight hours in New Zealand and Japan. We are looking for volunteers for the Africa / Europe timezone.)
MVP Web conference room	MVP Task force meetings are hosted on the Zoom platform. Meetings are recorded for record keeping purposes and published openly under a CC-BY license.