Sustainable development of education - attitudes of Polish academics towards OER

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet has radically changed the possibilities for disseminating scientific knowledge and made open resources available to a wide audience. Open resources are part of the trend of sustainable development, not only closing the gap in the availability of knowledge but also actively supporting the ideas of lifelong learning. Open resources are also an opportunity to develop and promote an educational unit. It is extremely important to be aware of the changes, as, despite the development of information and communication technologies and the growing popularity of open educational resources, they are still at an early stage of development in the Polish academic environment. This article aims to review the attitudes of the research and teaching staff of the largest Polish academic centres towards open educational resources. The study analysed the level of awareness of researchers and educators about open educational resources and presented the main barriers to their creation. It also highlighted efforts to develop open educational resources (OER) and outlined future research directions. The article raises the issue of sustainable education, which is part of the assumptions of the programme "Transforming our world. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" implemented by the United Nations. Furthermore, it is assumed that the active participation of educational units in the creation of open educational resources can contribute to the development of sustainable education, responding to socio-economic needs.