Abstract
Inclusive education and the associated consideration of the diverse needs of students from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds and different talents and disabilities are a worldwide challenge. This article shows how by addressing different user groups, state-funded platforms for open educational resources (OER) can contribute to the implementation of inclusive education. This is done using the example of the Norwegian platform NDLA, which has been providing open educational resources for upper secondary education in Norway since 2006. This paper is based on 13 expert interviews conducted with NDLA staff, cooperation partners, and members of the opposing schoolbook publishers union in 2017. The presented results focus on the diversity of learners, teachers, and platform staff and how this diversity is addressed. The presented results focus on the diversity of learners, teachers, and platform staff and how this diversity is addressed to ensure the best possible outcomes in learning and teaching. Finally, country-specific aspects that can be addressed by an OER platform are highlighted. In summary, the transferability of the Norwegian experience to other countries is discussed.
Highlights
Introduction e development of an inclusive education system for all learners is prominently anchored at the international level as an objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the United Nations [1] and in article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) of the United Nations [2]
E direct users of the platform can be identified as the students, the teachers, and the NDLA staff
Diversity of Students. e statements on dealing with diversity on the student side can be divided into three areas: the way NDLA addresses students, the opportunities for teachers to make further adjustments, and the scope for students to deviate from the paths offered
Summary
Inclusive education and the associated consideration of the diverse needs of students from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds and different talents and disabilities are a worldwide challenge. is article shows how by addressing different user groups, state-funded platforms for open educational resources (OER) can contribute to the implementation of inclusive education. is is done using the example of the Norwegian platform NDLA, which has been providing open educational resources for upper secondary education in Norway since 2006. is paper is based on 13 expert interviews conducted with NDLA staff, cooperation partners, and members of the opposing schoolbook publishers union in 2017. e presented results focus on the diversity of learners, teachers, and platform staff and how this diversity is addressed. e presented results focus on the diversity of learners, teachers, and platform staff and how this diversity is addressed to ensure the best possible outcomes in learning and teaching. One possible approach would be to provide Open Educational Resources (OER) that take diversity into account from the onset and, like Zhang [6] suggested, can be adapted by teachers to the needs of their students due to the different copyright model and that can subsequently be disseminated further for the use by other teachers.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have