Starting Point - Self-Reflection Exercise

How do you measure the 'educational footprint' of your teaching activities?

Reflecting on Education

Several statements on open sharing of educational resources are listed below. What is your initial reaction to each statement, based on your practical experience as an educator and from a personal perspective?

View the sample responses provided to see whether your views are similar to commonly expressed arguments for and against open education practice, and also to see an institutional perspective (in italics).

As an educator, how would you feel...

• if the teaching resources you create and use at Otago Polytechnic were accessed and used by countless students, not just in Otago but elsewhere in New Zealand and throughout the world?
  • Mostly positive
    • We're all this together, aren't we? The reason we teach is to share knowledge and many educators would be be delighted if their teaching resources were being widely used by students and other educators beyond my own lectures and workshops. Sharing resources widely seems a wise use of taxpayer funds, and helps to avoid the endless ‘re-inventing the wheel’ that goes on all the time. Otago Polytechnic takes the view that collaboration via open education is the way forward and gives expression to our commitment to sustainable education practice. Other institutions are beginning to take the same view. The projected challenges facing the educational sector in the 21st Century are simply too large for the business-as-usual approach to remain viable.
  • Mostly negative
    • The idea sounds great in principle, but we recognise that the idea of giving away hard-won teaching resources does take some getting used to – especially at a time when educational institutions are competing with each other to attract students and funding. From an institutional perspective, "helping" rivals may seem counter-intuitive but, after much analysis, Otago Polytechnic takes the view that collaboration via open education is the way forward, and other institutions are beginning to take the same view. The projected challenges facing the educational sector in the 21st Century are simply too large for the business-as-usual approach to remain viable and given the growing inventory of open access materials on the web, it is hard to generate competitive advantage from our teaching materials. However, the money and time we save on course development costs can be put to good use to improving the student learning experience.
• if your teaching resources could be adapted, reworked with other resources, translated into other languages, and made available to anyone?
  • Mostly positive
    • This idea makes a lot of sense. Everyone’s teaching resource needs and styles are different, and allowing other educators to repurpose my resources for their own needs makes them more relevant to a wider audience. When preparing my own teaching materials I do the same, cherry-picking the best content from a wide variety of sources. I’d still like to be credited for my original work though, even if it’s been edited, translated, repackaged or whatever. Otago Polytechnic believes giving others the right and ability to re-work and re-purpose its educational resources adds greatly to their utility for all users.
  • Mostly negative
    • Some reservations here. I wouldn’t want someone to take the resources I’ve put together, tweak them a bit, and call them their own. I’ve put years of my life into my collection of teaching materials and they are a real asset for the Polytechnic. Otago Polytechnic believes giving others the right and ability to re-work and re-purpose its educational resources adds greatly to their utility for all users. However, this does not diminish the creator's right to be credited for their work
• if you could be part of an active global community of like-minded educators in your specialty who collaboratively develop and hone educational resources customised to your students’ needs?
  • Mostly positive
    • Yes, sign me up! I’d love to work with my counterparts in other institutions to get some really good resources put together for my program. I’ve always enjoyed collaboration with other staff, but my field is fairly narrow, and being able to cooperate closely with colleagues elsewhere would be very helpful. Otago Polytechnic shares this view, and encourages staff to collaborate to develop and fine-tune open educational resources.
  • Mostly negative
    • I’d need to know more. Only the most general teaching materials I create would be relevant outside of my courses, since local conditions are so specific. Are there any other educational institutions that I could collaborate with to develop resources? Otago Polytechnic supports collaboration when preparing open educational resources, and can assist staff to identify other institutions that share this view.

Did you know that Otago Polytechnic’s academic intellectual property policy was formulated to support the principles of open education?

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