Open Educational Resources Research Articles

Recommender systems for teachers: The relation between social ties and the effectiveness of socially-based features

Open Educational Resources (OER) repositories provide teachers with a wide range of learning resources (LRs), enabling them to design various learning sequences. However, search & select in large OER repositories can be a daunting task for teachers. Incorporating peer recommendations, as is common in online marketplaces, is becoming a popular solution that seeks to exploit the wisdom of the crowd for this task. However, teachers are often reluctant to take a contributory role and provide social recommendations. In addition, little is known about the actual value of social recommendations as a search aid. In this research, we implemented a “light-weight” socially-based recommender system (RS) within a large OER repository that includes social network features. We examined two aspects of the socially-based recommendation mechanisms. First, their utility as search aids that assist teachers in searching and selecting suitable LRs, and second, their impact on teachers' incentives to share recommendations that can assist fellow teachers. To study these two aspects, we examined two science teacher communities using this repository. The results demonstrated the incentivising power of social rewards, and the value of social recommendations as means for search & select. However, we also observed a heterogeneous effect of social features on teachers' behaviour. To explore the factors that may explain these differences, we employed a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative, quantitative, and Social Network Analysis methods. Triangulation of the findings underline the relation between the strength of the social ties within the teachers’ community and the effectiveness of socially-based features.

Discrepancies and Similarities Between Online and Face-to-Face Teachers’ Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for Teaching Purposes

Discrepancies and Similarities Between Online and Face-to-Face Teachers’ Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for Teaching Purposes

Measuring the Impact of an Open Educational Resource and Library e-Resource Adoption Program Using the COUP Framework

Measuring the Impact of an Open Educational Resource and Library e-Resource Adoption Program Using the COUP Framework

Supporting Instruction in Cell Biology Using No-Cost Open Educational Resources

To reduce the cost of educational materials needed by students, we generated a no-cost open educational resources (OER) textbook for an undergraduate level cell biology course. Cell biology is part of the curriculum in various undergraduate degrees for science, technology, engineering, and math majors, therefore generation of OER targets a large population of students. In addition to cost reduction, we unified the textbook content with course learning outcomes to ensure that the students have a clear understanding of course goals. To assess student perceptions of OER materials and their experiences related to learning outcomes, surveys were administered to students enrolled in sections of cell biology using a traditional textbook and those enrolled in sections using the OER. Data showed positive student attitudes about learning, accessibility, and cost of OER, supporting the use of no-cost OER in undergraduate classrooms and beyond.

Reusable educational resources for developing complex thinking on open platforms

AbstractIn the context of rapid technological advancements and the increasing availability of Open Educational Resources (OER), there is a growing need to foster complex thinking skills in higher education. The study aims to characterize OER platforms that facilitate the development of such skills, grounded in UNESCO’s recommendations and the evolving definitions of complex thinking. Utilizing a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), the research focuses on three key questions: the type of open license allowing 5R activities, the technical options based on the ALMS Framework, and the sub-competencies of complex thinking that can be nurtured through OER. The study identifies and categorizes key platforms conducive to the development of complex thinking skills, namely innovative, critical, scientific, and systemic thinking. These platforms are analyzed based on their licensing types and technical capabilities. Findings indicate that most of the platforms studied support 5R activities under Creative Commons licenses, require advanced editing skills, and more than half address multiple subcompetencies of complex thinking. The study concludes that the adaptation, reuse, and redistribution of OER can significantly contribute to fostering complex thinking skills, aligning educational practices with 21st-century demands. Recommendations include the development of frameworks by higher education institutions to normalize OER platforms and meet students’ needs, as well as future research to assess user behavior and sustainability of these platforms.

Метадані наукових документів як складова системи інформаційних ресурсів «відкритої науки»

Open science is a movement that aims to make research results more accessible, including code, data, and scientific papers. It covers many different but often related aspects affecting the entire research life cycle, including open access to publications, open data of research, open source software, open workflows, public science, open educational resources and alternative methods of the research evaluation, including open peer review, expert reviews, etc. The key to effective application and integration of open science resources is their structured description based on the principles of completeness and necessity of meta-information, ease of use and interoperability. The units of such description are metadata. In fact, the quality of open resources begins with the quality of its metadata. This study does not cover the entire wide spectrum of open science resources. Its purposes are to define the system of characteristics that describe general and specific features of various types of scientific documents as a significant part of scientific knowledge of Open Science. To achieve the goal of the research it is defined a taxonomy of resources of open scientific documents and proposes an integrated system of their metadata. Proposed system of metadata is based on several classifier sets. It includes three major groups: internal characteristics – description of explicit features of the object of open knowledge (for example, the size or the type of the file), administrative characteristics – information about the object (authors, executers, etc.) and descriptive characteristics - information about the object’s content, its special features, links to other objects related to this. The metadata system is built based on the analysis of the existing metadata schemas and standards, search engines and digital libraries, and it takes into account similarity and specificity of each type of open documents.

Leveraging Open Educational Resources to Promote Openness and Internationalization in Education: A Case Study of SHMS According to UNESCO Recommendations

Leveraging Open Educational Resources to Promote Openness and Internationalization in Education: A Case Study of SHMS According to UNESCO Recommendations

Digital Learning Materials in Teaching Languages for Special Purposes in Higher Education in QuILL Project

Aim. The Erasmus+ project ‘QuILL – Quality in Language Learning’ was approved within the Strategic Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness as it proposes a new insight into the way digital open educational resources (OER) are made available to language lecturers teaching languages for specific purposes or as foreign languages and how they can maximise their use in a qualitative way. The project ended in February 2023. One of QuILL’s main goals is to provide higher education language lecturers with a substantial number of Open Educational Resources (OER) to assist them in the teaching and learning process. Apart from that, a training package has been developed to guide lecturers into the way they identify, use and create online resources. The guidelines brought into play in the e-book of the project concur with the core principles that guide higher education lecturers’ teaching practice: to make learners become motivated and engaged, unfettering them from narrowmindedness, fostering autonomy and critical thinking.
 Methods. The identification of the sources has been made by the experts of the project partnership following a bottom up approach and the participation of a relevant number of potential beneficiaries, focusing in particular on Language for Specific Purpose (LSP). Each resource is presented both in English and the target language through a review, a case study and a guideline on how to use it. The e-learning based package addressed to university LSP lecturers is specifically aimed to guide them in innovating their language teaching methodologies through the effective use of quality digital based OER teaching sources including 2 operative tools, 2 case studies and an interactive self-assessment test. A third outcome of the project is an e-book titled Implementation of Digital language Learning Opportunities. This publication brings together contributions from the six partners that integrate the QuILL project consortium. Therefore, it consists of six chapters.
 Results. In the QuILL portal, both language lecturers and learners will find many OERs for 18 European languages, already tested and validated by students in real teaching scenarios. The OERs used for LSP described according to quality indicators: comprehensive approach, added value, motivation enhancement, innovation, transferability, skills assessment and validation, adaptability. The content of the e-learning based training package is structured in 3 modules, each of which follows the same structure with the combination of a readable e-text, extensive use of links to existing resources and downloadable supplementary document. The e-book, containing important theoretical and practical guidelines, is aimed at Higher Education (HE) policy makers, as well as LSP lecturers, to improve the implementation of digital based language learning opportunities in higher education systems. It also intends to present, examine and reflect on the opportunities related to the use of digital technology in the language learning and teaching process.
 Conclusions. Most resources found on the Internet are targeted at learners of English. This is one of the issues that QuILL addresses. The publication, an e-book on digital language teaching addresses the process of language learning via digital resources and keywords such as “quality” “innovation”, and “digital education” are common to all of the six chapters. In the specific context of LSP, digital technologies equip teachers and students with more tools that will empower them during the learning and teaching process, so they continue to open as many doors as possible.

Differences in Profile and Personal Learning of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Participants in Utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) and Parenting Programs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at the Indonesian Open University are independent learning tools that provide the opportunity to introduce the University to the wider community by providing quality knowledge for free. This research aims to describe the Indonesian Open University's efforts to provide solutions to limited access and quality of education by providing various free courses to the wider community through MOOCs which are open and can be attended by an unlimited number of participants. This survey study uses a modified Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) questionnaire, adapted to the profile of the community as participants and the characteristics of the Open University (UT') MOOCs program. In 2023, UT offers 23 MOOC titles, but this research limited it to only two MOOCs, Open Educational Resources (OER) with 56 participants and Parenting with 73 participants (129 teachers and parents of early childhood). This research revealed two MOOCs in real life which were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test to see whether there were differences in the answers between respondents who took part in the OER MOOCS and the answers of respondents who took part in the MOOCS parenting program. Apart from that, UT's MOOCs currently still use Indonesian considering that currently they are specifically for Indonesian people. UT MOOCs were developed using an open-source platform (Moodle) considering that previously lecturers and tutors had used similar platforms for their formal courses.
 Keywords: self-directed learning, Massive Open Online Courses, parenting program, early childhood

Open Education Resources in EFL teaching at School of Languages and Tourism: Opportunities and challenges

Open Education Resources in EFL teaching at School of Languages and Tourism: Opportunities and challenges

Piloting an innovation for teachers’ capacity development in STEM subjects in Nigerian secondary schools

Connecting Learning for secondary school Teachers Capacity Development in STEM (CL4STEM) is a project that aims to pilot innovation and research its effectiveness and potential scaling for building capacity of teachers in secondary school in science and mathematics to foster higher-order teaching with inclusion and equity (HOTIE). It is a South-South collaboration among higher education institutions to adapt and pilot the Connected Learning Initiative (CLix) (http://clix.tiss.edu), which was developed and scaled in India, to new contexts in Bhutan, Nigeria and Tanzania with support from the IDRC. CL4STEM engaged in teacher professional development for newly recruited teachers in Nigeria by implanting and using highly localized and contextualized open education resources (OER), strengthening the use of technology and local resources in teaching enhancing contents knowledge specifically in the sciences and mathematics Data were collected in three phases, baseline, midline, and endline. The findings indicate that teachers' understanding of CL4STEM innovation improved from baseline to endline. At the baseline 2 teachers were still learning how to effectively navigate CL4STEM modules and Telegram group (CoPs) while none was at the endline. There is an increase in the number of teachers exploring ways of improving CL4STEM teaching strategies through further refinement of the modules and CoP participation and/or alternative ways of achieving better results from 1 at midline to 5 at endline. There is a decrease in the number of teachers that are exploring ways of collaboration with other teachers and educators to help impact student learning using CL4STEM teaching strategies from 11 at the midline to 3 at the endline.

FLICM clustering with matrix factorization based course recommendation in an E-learning platform

Technology-enabled learning has progressively grown for research areas with wide application of information and communication technologies for numerous standard-compliant Learning and Open Educational Resources. This provides formidable support to users for the selection of courses when they want to develop the course with available learning materials. But selecting a course via searching learning objects is an inherently complex operation having various repositories. In an E-learning Platform, many complexities arise due to various software tools and specification formats that hinder the success of the course. In this paper, many obstacles in the E-learning platform are eradicated by utilizing Fuzzy Local Information C-Means (FLICM) clustering with matrix factorization for the selection of courses. The dataset utilized in this work is E-Khool review data, from which an agglomerative matrix is generated. Here, the agglomerative matrix consists of the learner series matrix and course series matrix along with their binary matrix. After this process, course grouping is carried out by FLICM clustering with matrix factorization. Moreover, group course bilevel matching, followed by relevant learner retrieval and group user is done by Minkowski and Chebyshev distance. From this learner’s preferred course is retrieved and then a recommendation using matrix factorization is carried out. Finally, the course is recommended for the user based on maximum rating. Furthermore, the performance of developed FLICM_matrix factorization is achieved by performance metrics, like precision, recall, and f-measure with values 0.915, 0.850, and 0.882, accordingly.

THE STAGES OF DIGITALIZATION OF LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN THE XX-XXI CC

The article is aimed at the analysis and classification of the main stages of digitalization of language education in the world. The use of computer technology in teaching foreign languages began more than 80 years ago. Until recently, this topic was the subject of discussion of a rather narrow circle of specialists, but with the onset of the digital era and the rapid development of mobile and cloud technologies, artificial intelligence, more and more foreign language teachers in our country and abroad are introducing open educational resources into the educational process and applications, design distance courses and massive open online courses for teaching foreign languages. At the moment, there is an urgent need to analyze the stages of implementing computer technologies in teaching foreign languages and to identify some methodological features of the organization of the educational process supported by ICT, namely: the dominant method of learning, some didactic potential of the latest technologies, the role of the student and teacher, etc. Five main stages of the digitalization of language education were identified, which were named in accordance with the dominant teaching method: behavioral, audial, integrative, social-communicative, task-based communicative. The article also discusses the types of learning that have appeared due to digital technologies, such as mobile, social learning, learning based on augmented and virtual reality technologies — immersive learning. Particular attention is paid to the opportunities provided by artificial intelligence — deep learning, chat-bot learning, robotic learning of foreign languages.

Dismantling the education exclusion zone

Traditional textbook publishing magnifies some voices while silencing others, pushing consistently marginalised groups into an education exclusion zone. Open educational resources (OER) purportedly address this problem; however, without adequate guidance on inclusive design, OER fail to rise to the challenge. This paper undertakes an exploratory initial review of EmpoweredOER, a practical tool in first-phase iterative development, designed to unpack the complexities of inclusive OER. Emerging from a grant-funded international study tour, three best practice themes informed the design of EmpoweredOER: true accessibility, beyond technological; universal design for learning and inclusive open education nexus; and diverse perspectives and representation. Initial findings indicate EmpoweredOER meets its objective. Future research will analyse the impact and growth of EmpoweredOER as it matures.
 Implications for practice:
 
 There is appetite to dedicate further resources to developing inclusive OER tools.
 Advocates can instill a sense of community in their resources for increased engagement.
 Resource creators should incorporate interactivity and adaptability for greater contextualisation.

An open educational resource to teach language and culture

Many studies on teaching language have shown that language and culture are closely related and are best acquired together (Brook, 1968; Brown, 2000; Kramsch, 2020; Kourdis & Zafiri, 2022). In an English language program (ELP), we use a variety of textbooks. These textbooks feature culture as part of the content (e.g., customs and traditions). However, the resources are typically information-focused which directs students to simply compare and contrast the similarities and differences between their own and the target cultures in a traditional way that is insufficient for the complexity of language and culture learning. Educators found that this type of traditional approach runs the risk of oversimplifying the richness and variety of a culture by reducing it to a few salient principles (Stockwell, 2018). Although language teachers have incorporated more culture in their lessons, the major concern is finding effective ways to integrate culture and language to prepare learners to engage and collaborate effectively in a global society by discovering appropriate ways to interact with people from other cultures. In addition, it may be very demanding for them to teach culture or be individually knowledgeable about other cultures to the extent required for a truly holistic English program. The project introduces a reusable technology-enhanced learning resource in the form of an open textbook for use in an English for Academic Purpose programme. This resource aims to facilitate a general reduction in issues such as ethnocentrism, stereotypes, prejudice and similar issues that have a negative effect on intercultural communication?in multicultural language classrooms, and to students’ understanding of their own culture and other cultures through activities which require critical reflections and self-assessment. It consists of three modules and self-assessment tools for using critical reflections and assessing students’ intercultural competence. Each module has main content, practice and performance tasks. Using multimodal resources and materials are provided that make student think, reflect and discuss the main concept of the module. Through these tasks, students are able to learn the main concept of each module regarding cultural knowledge and understand what they learned through the real situation and finally demonstrate awareness of the cultural knowledge in the module. The content will be shaped with technology-integrated materials to utilise the affordance and efficacy of the innovative technology. The challenges posed by the disconnect between traditional teaching materials and a fulsome understanding of culture are met by the affordances of open pedagogy and the inclusion of open educational resources. The student-centred open pedagogy approach positions learners as co-creators of knowledge in the classroom, leveraging a constructivist learning design by providing students with opportunities to share and deeply reflect on lived experience of culture. The open textbook developed for the course provides opportunities for student revision, international peer-review of learning materials, and iterative development across multiple institutions. Furthermore, students enhance the text through web annotation, supporting peer learning. This presentation outlines the transformation of an English language program aimed toward mature understanding of language and culture, enabled by open education, and will be of interest to educators in similar fields, and those planning to implement OER more generally. The project also represents a partnership between the College and the Library, bringing together expertise in open educational practices, and student-centred learning and teaching approaches that result in more opportunities for learner engagement, and accessible, shareable content for the sector.

Behind the Scenes: Insights on Pedagogy during Implementation of an RbT Open Educational Resource

Research-based Theatre (RbT) offers a powerful stimulus for dialogue about the challenges of graduate supervisory relationships. This paper traces the implementation process for Rock the Boat, an open-access educational resource that includes four professionally acted scenes, a facilitator’s guide, and supplementary reading materials. The resource has been used extensively in online, in-person, and hybrid workshops to identify difficulties in graduate supervision, heighten awareness of power dynamics, and increase reflective practice among participants. Reflecting on lessons learned about the importance of pedagogy and practical logistics, we suggest that implementation aspects of RbT methodology are as vital as the creative and developmental.

Renewable Assignments: Or How to Use OER-Enabled Pedagogy to Respond to Generation Z’s Educational Needs

ABSTRACT The new generation of students, Generation Z students, have different expectations of their education. They value inclusivity, social consciousness, and hands-on learning experiences. To meet their expectations, we argue that educators should use renewable assignments. These assignments add value beyond the course by creating Open Educational Resources (OER), openly licensed with the 5R: retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. In this article, we first present renewable assignments, OER-enabled pedagogy, the assignments that students used to develop openly licensed educational material and the products they created. Then, we offer step-by-step guidance on crafting effective renewable assignments. Finally, the two students who coauthored this paper examine how OER-enabled pedagogy follows the learning skills of Generation Z: independence, collaboration, and engagement.

Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) and Governmental Open Educational Resources (OER) Policies: Instruments of International Policy Influence

Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) have been playing a prominent role in the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement in advocating for and supporting the development of governmental OER policies. Research shows that IGOs perform multiple roles in influencing national and global education policy processes and possess multiple policy instruments with which they can assert their influence. We adopted the conceptual framework of policy instruments to understand the types of policy instruments applied by the selected IGOs. We carried out semi-structured interviews with representatives from four important IGOs. Results show that the selected IGOs collectively used discursive dissemination, funding, technical assistance, standard-setting and coordinative functions OER policy instruments to influence the development of governmental OER policies. We report on the perceived and observed successes of these IGOs OER policy instruments and the related challenges. We discuss relevant findings and their implications for further research and activities of IGOs.

University Lecturers’ Feelings, Awareness and Attitudes Towards Open Education Resources: Experience from Two Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania

University Lecturers’ Feelings, Awareness and Attitudes Towards Open Education Resources: Experience from Two Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania

The Impact of Open Educational Resource Professional Development for Teachers in Secondary Education

The Impact of Open Educational Resource Professional Development for Teachers in Secondary Education