Abstract
What difference does openness make to the ethics of teaching and research? This paper approaches this question both from the perspective of research into the use of open educational resources (OER) in teaching and learning. An outline of the nature and importance of ethics in education research is provided before the basic principles of research ethics are examined through a discussion of traditional guidance provided by three UK research governance bodies: the Economics and Social Research Council; the British Education Research Association; and the British Psychological Society. The importance and foundation of institutional approval for research activities is analysed with several examples of the differences made by openness. It is argued that openness by its nature provokes particular issues for education researchers. A framework for understanding openness in education is then proposed based on basic meta-ethical positions (deontological; consequentialist; virtue). Used as a tool, the framework attempts to retain relevance in a variety of scenarios without requiring a dogmatic vision of openness (e.g. an insistence on open licensing). This framework is then evaluated in the context of the OER Research Hub project, which developed guidance for others in the form of an ‘ethics manual’ and online learning provided through the OER Research Hub’s ‘Open Research’ course hosted on P2PU’s School of Open. Use of the framework is intended to contribute to a better understanding of professional ethics for open practitioners.
Highlights
There is widespread recognition that the move to digitized, online and freely accessible learning resources brings profound ethical challenges
This study showed that the average completion rate for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) was 10%, and that the massive enrolment seen in some early MOOC was falling as more courses became available
It should be noted that the proposed framework cannot replace existing processes of institutional approval for research work, and should be thought of as complementary
Summary
There is widespread recognition that the move to digitized, online and freely accessible learning resources brings profound ethical challenges. A range of cultures, behaviours, practices and technologies from educational contexts may be described as ‘open’, including access to education or published research, policies, teaching methods, software, data sets and other educational resources. Commonly found all around the world, have massively expanded access to education. Over the last decade—primarily in the form of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and Open Educational Resources (OER)—the open education movement has expanded opportunities for education worldwide. OER and MOOC encourage the production and sharing of high-quality educational materials at minimal cost. They represent a potential solution to many issues facing educators around the world and have attracted significant media interest around the world. We cannot in good conscience allow this poverty of educational opportunity to continue when educational provisions are so plentiful, and when their duplication and distribution costs so little.” (Caswell, Henson, Jensen & Wiley, 2008)
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