WHY Open Educational Resources?
Open educational resources are the lifeblood of the growing open education movement. They embody one of education’s core concepts: sharing knowledge openly. Today, OER’s have become highly relevant in education because:
1. of the vast and growing opportunities provided by the digital age to collaboratively create and disseminate educational resources at little or no cost;
2. as a response to the spiralling costs of education and the economic / societal burden this creates in both developed and developing countries;
3. as a way of reducing educational disparities – OER can provide free, good quality learning resources to many millions of people otherwise deprived of educational opportunities
4. Open publishing of resources fuels quality, because they are openly available for anyone to see and use – the best OERs tend to be re-used, adapted and built-upon by other educators.
Otago Polytechnic is committed to promoting and implementing open education practices, and its revised academic IP policy is aligned with a move towards more active direct involvement in OER development and use. The policy also reflects Otago Polytechnic’s policy of encouraging sustainable education practices, and ethical and efficient use of taxpayer funds in the education system.
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