PROMOTING OPEN EDUCATION AND FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Abstract

The paper focuses on promoting open education and free educational resources. The dynamics of the changes that take place in the world are a challenge for all actors in the education system. Accepting and promoting the postmodern paradigm, based on humanism and constructivism, approaching education from the perspective of the learner and developing the education process from the perspective of the pedagogy focused on competences are just some of the new imperatives. All these realities require a resizing of the educational process and resources, but also of the purposes. Training systems must contribute to meeting the increasingly pressing need for continuous updating of knowledge and skills in the conditions of an increasingly expanded international labor market, while at the same time pursuing greater efficiency and equity. In this context, there is also widespread use, including in the education system, of technologies and information resources, as well as facilitating, through them, access and exchange of information. Electronic resources, online content and virtual educational spaces offer the latest, most diverse information and continuing education opportunities. In recent years, the issues directly related to open data / open educational resources are being widely addressed by the international educational community. At European level, a series of actions were carried out regarding the promotion of open data, in order to improve the quality and access to education, the European Commission elaborating a series of public policy documents that encourage the re-use of information in innovative ways and the design of educational materials under open licenses. Over the last decade, the supply of OER in the world has grown exponentially. However, while there is an increasing variety of subjects, OERs are typically produced in a limited number of languages (mainly in English), and used by certain sectors of education (especially higher education) and specific disciplines.