Learning in a digital age/LiDA103/Defining OER/OER definitions

The concept of open education encapsulates a simple but powerful idea that the world’s knowledge is a public good and that the open web provides an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge. In short the "open" in Open Educational Resources means they must be free and provide the permissions to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. However, we need to examine the concept in more detail.

Reflecting on the requirements for a definition of OER
There is a diverse range of opinion on the specific requirements of what constitutes an open education resource. In writing about the definition of OER, David Wiley indicates that the word "open" can have different meanings in different contexts and in practice it is a continuous (not binary) construct. "A door can be wide open, mostly open, cracked slightly open, or completely closed. So can your eyes, so can a window, etc."

A precise definition of OER impinges on the range of opinions regarding fundamental questions associated with interpretations of the meaning of the freedom to learn, for example:


 * Should a definition of OER include the requirement of an open content license, for example a Creative Commons license or the GNU Free Documentation License?
 * Is no-cost access to a learning resource on the Internet sufficient to qualify for a definition of OER?
 * Must a definition of OER incorporate the rights to adapt and modify a resource without restriction for different learning contexts?
 * Does the concept of freedom include the right to earn a living from OER?
 * Are restrictions on reuse permissible for a definition of OER?
 * Is there a requirement for technical related provisions, for example that an OER must be distributed in editable file formats?

Critical analysis of an OER definition
Consider, for example, the following description of OER and reflect on the questions which follow.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) describes OER as:

...digitised materials offered freely and openly for educators, students and self-learners to use and reuse for teaching, learning and research. OER includes learning content, software tools to develop, use and distribute content, and implementation resources such as open licences. This report suggests that "open educational resources" refers to accumulated digital assets that can be adjusted and which provide benefits without restricting the possibilities for others to enjoy them.

These questions illustrate that a definition of OER entails more than the requirement to provide access to digital resources on the web. Moreover, there are multiple dimensions which must be considered when evaluating the "openness" of online resources.