Development Of Open Educational Resources Research Articles

Sustainable development and formative evaluation of mathematics open educational resources created by pre-service teachers: an action research study

In the post-pandemic world, UNESCO advocates the development of open educational resources (OER) to remedy the financial pressures of students and their families. We thus conducted a dual-cycle action research study aiming to develop a sustainable model with minimal cost for creating OER for secondary school mathematics teachers and students. Our theoretical foundations drew upon existing sustainable models of OER development and experiential learning theory to enhance the efficacy of OER. Formative evaluation techniques were employed in both action research cycles, where pre-service teachers developed the OER and in-service teachers provided suggestions for improvement. In the second cycle, we tested the use of our OER with 35 Grade 11 students to examine both student achievement and retention. The test results showed a significant learning gain (pre-test: Mdn = 2.00; post-test: Mdn = 10.00), which was retained over 2 weeks (delayed post-test: Mdn = 11.00). However, the students’ performance on more advanced questions was not satisfactory. Based on an overall reflection on the study, we proposed a sustainable model of OER development, which leveraged the manpower of pre-service and in-service teachers and incorporated formative evaluation techniques. Furthermore, we provided recommendations for enhancing the future development of OER in mathematics education.

Bridging the Divide: Indigenous Language Integration in Open Educational Resource Accessibility

The use of information resources is dependent on their accessibility by users. The accessibility of information has attracted the attention of researchers from different parts of the world. However, Open Educational Resources (OERs) accessibility issues have not been adequately addressed in South Africa. This article explores the use of indigenous languages in the development and adaptation of OERs for accessibility at the University of South Africa. A total of 108 OERs were available for selection on UnisaIR. Ten of the 108 OERs were purposefully selected. Exploring and analysing OER development at Unisa took a qualitative and exploratory approach. This article presents the findings of a thematic analysis that was used to identify dominant themes in OER. The findings highlight two main concerns that underpin OER operations at Unisa: 1) translation as a method of OER creation and/or adaptation; and 2) deficiency of OER creation in indigenous languages. Though using indigenous languages in the construction of OERs can help to address the accessibility gap in the supply of teaching and learning resources, this aspect of accessibility as a discourse in the OER space has yet to be explored extensively. It is a matter of concern that many OERs at Unisa are written only in English. To address the gap in accessibility of OERs in the South African context, the following three language-related factors should support the creation of OERs: development in local languages, linguistic pluralism, and translation into indigenous languages.

A Technology-Enabled Concept of Open Educational Resources Development in Primary and Secondary Schools

With the rapid development of technology, education is facing unprecedented changes. The development of technology has led to a new era in educational resources for primary and secondary schools, providing students with richer, more flexible, and more personalized learning experiences. In this paper, we will elaborate on the strategies of technology-enabled primary and secondary education resources in terms of digital education resources, quality course resources, teacher training and development, teaching tools based on IT application, education resource sharing, innovative laboratory construction, home-school cooperation resources, and education equity resources. This is in order to achieve intelligent aggregation and personalized recommendation of educational resources, so as to optimize the allocation of educational resources, improve the quality of teaching, and stimulate students' interest in learning. Through the implementation of these strategies, it is expected that the efficiency of primary and secondary school educational resources will be improved, enhancing the results of teaching, meeting the personalized needs of students, and promoting the modernization of education.

Learning along the Way

The development of open educational resources (OER) plays a key role in addressing the challenge of access to affordable, appropriate, high-quality teaching and learning materials. This is particularly the case in health sciences in South Africa, where there is a strong imperative around local production of contextually appropriate resources that can be openly accessible within institutions and in practice. This case study details the creation and iterative review approaches undertaken by undergraduate medical students in a study module focused on creating chapters for an orthopaedics open textbook through the use of ChatGPT. It also explores the nuances of the lecturer’s process, particularly as relates to assessment, quality, and his ambitions to promote student voice through co-creation. The findings demonstrate that ChatGPT has the potential to be the game changer needed to help build OER production in the Global South, particularly in terms of the speeding up of the process. They also suggest that processes of this kind have a role to play in building students’ critical artificial intelligence (AI) digital literacy skills and in boosting their sense of agency. This work stands to make an important contribution in terms of profiling institutional cases where AI is being used in an innovative, responsible manner in the classroom. It also aims to make a unique Global South contribution to the rapidly emerging global discourse around the use of AI in teaching and learning, and the use of collaborative content development approaches to promote student voice and social justice in higher education.

ICT Tools for Open Educational Resources Used in an Open Distance E-learning Institution in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era

Open educational resources (OER) are gaining popularity in higher education spaces and more attention in open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions as they are gradually substituting printed prescribed textbooks in the teaching and learning space. The adoption and development of OER have been researched; however, the roles of knowledge management tools in storing and disseminating the resources are not well articulated. This research explores the use of knowledge management tools in an ODeL learning context. ODeL institutions use knowledge management tools and a host of other information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver and facilitate synchronous and asynchronous learning and bridge transactional distance. Therefore, this study employed a qualitative approach to investigate ways in which lecturers use knowledge management tools to embrace and create OER. A case study approach was used at one ODeL institution. The knowledge management cycle (KMC) was chosen as the theoretical framework of the study. The key finding demonstrates that lecturers utilised a wide range of ICT tools for the storage, collection, and dissemination of OER as part of knowledge production. The study proposes the extension of the KMC from three cycles to four where “system” is added. There is a significant need for policy, impact, and the matrix to be covered under the system cycle. The study recommends that scholars who are investigating any IT artefact opt for an extended KMC where impact and user metrics will be evaluated, as this will enhance academic support.

Open Educational Resources: Qualitative evaluation of faculty interest in motivating students to create and use

ABSTRACT Increasing interest among faculty, researchers, educators, and scholars in Open Educational Resources (OER) as significant tools for promoting openness, equity, and quality of education in both distance and face-to-face pedagogical settings has continually generated research attention on OER and Open Educational Practices. The motivational roles of faculty in motivating learners to create, use, and promote OER usage and development culture among students have not been established. This research evaluates faculty interest in motivating students to create and use OER and how the culture of OER usage and creation can be promoted among students of some selected universities. Findings from this study indicated that faculty showed positive attitudes towards motivating students to create and use OER. Some faculty gave several motivational factors that can influence their interest in motivating students to create and use OER and strategies for promoting the culture of OER usage and development among university students.

Making the Most of Cognitive Surplus: Descriptive Case Studies of Student-Generated Open Educational Resources

Universities are hives of knowledge production and innovation, but the work students produce for assessment is often utilised in a limited way, neglecting a potentially rich intellectual resource. This article investigates an activity that can make use of this resource. It has known benefits for students but is rarely used in higher education—student-generated open educational resources (OER). In descriptive case studies of two projects where students created OER as an assessed part of university coursework, the article explores the impacts of this activity on students’ learning experiences and the educational practice of teaching academics. Drawing upon social constructivist understandings of teaching and learning and a range of quantitative and qualitative data from projects with 156 students and 3 academics, the descriptive case studies illustrate how student-generated OER, guided by an OER development model, positively benefitted learners and educators. The discussion balances these benefits against some of the challenges experienced in the process. The article will argue that student-generated OER could be widely used, but specific supports are necessary for academics to facilitate this activity successfully.

Adoption and development of OERs and practices for self-directed learning: A South African perspective

The use of open educational resources (OERs) within the broader context of open educational practices (OEPs) has many advantages, including the potential to result in self-directed learning, as students take responsibility for their learning. However, despite their vast potential, the promise of OERs has not yet translated into concrete and tangible OER adoption and development in the Global South, and specifically in South Africa. It also seems that the flow of OERs is mostly in one direction, namely from developed to developing country contexts. The purpose of this article is to determine what the literature reveals regarding OER adoption and development in South Africa. Within an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative approach, we used an integrative literature review to collect data. Two large databases were consulted, and after applying the chosen inclusion and exclusion criteria, six relevant texts were found and discussed. The findings reveal that limited research is available. Furthermore, it became clear that OER planning, adoption and development is a process, and that collaboration and institutional support and leadership play important roles in the state of OER adoption, development and projects. The literature also revealed that despite the benefits of using OERs, there are stumbling blocks to adopting and using OERs in South Africa. Based on the findings, it is suggested that OERs for self-directed learning should advance and develop teaching and learning, by supporting flexibility and openness of learning resources. Lastly, to grow the use of OERs, with specific reference to South Africa, ongoing research on the state of OER adoption and development is needed.

Collaborating to support the use and development of open educational resources: a White Rose Libraries research project

Collaborating to support the use and development of open educational resources: a White Rose Libraries research project

The Use of Open Educational Resources during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Primary School Mathematics Teachers in Hong Kong

During the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching and learning activities had to be conducted fully online. To sustain quality education, teachers could use open educational resources (OERs) available in the public domain to make online mathematics teaching more effective and interactive. However, we currently know little about the use of OERs in primary school settings. Therefore, this study seeks to understand their school policies and guidelines on and teachers’ experience of using OERs during the pandemic. Our overarching goal is to provide recommendations on the future development and use of OERs in the context of primary school mathematics education. We employed a qualitative approach and interviewed 13 mathematics teachers from different primary schools. Our findings suggest that teachers tended to rely on OERs more during the pandemic than before. They used OERs to introduce mathematics and to facilitate class interactions in online lessons. However, not all schools had policies and guidelines on the use of OERs in place. Some teachers also encountered challenges when using OERs, such as finding that the resources were unsuitable for school contexts and lower primary school students. Based on the findings, we discuss some possible strategies for the improvement, such as ensuring the suitability of OERs, through developer–teacher collaborations.

Potential ethical problems in the creation of open educational resources through virtual spaces in academia

The concept of open educational resources (OER) is an emerging phenomenon that encourages modern teaching and learning in the higher education sector. Although many institutions are promoting the adoption and creation of OER, they are still lacking in the policies and development guidelines related to the creation. This could perpetrate the potential ethical problems that affect the development of OER. This study aimed to find out ethical procedures and peer-review processes associated with the adoption and development of OER. A qualitative approach was used to gather data from OER developers in the academic space. Structuration theory was considered the main theoretical underpinning of this study. The commonly used big data virtual spaces for OER, such as social media and learning management systems (LMS), were identified. The study articulates three major causalities of OER's ethical problems, as follows: non-compliance to openness, transactional purchases of OER, non-incentives for developers. Also, the scholars' ideas and OER outputs cannot be undermined; however, there is a need for a peer-review process in the creation of OER. Institutions are expected to formulate the standards and requirements to be followed in the creation of OER because OER contributes to the rising of big data in the education domains. The study recommends that OER be developed for a specific purpose and aligned with the specific subject content, and the resource must be precise and peer reviewed for quality measures.

FIRST STEPS BEFORE THE JUMP: UKRAINIAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANS SURVEY ABOUT OER

Objective. The authors study: 1) the level of awareness of librarians of Ukrainian universities about Open Educational Resources (OER); 2) the ability of librarians to provide support services for the development, creation and use of OER in teaching, learning, research. Methods. The study was conducted by methods of analysis of professional literature, online survey (questionnaires) and analysis of the results. The questionnaires “Library of Higher Education Institution in Support of Distance Learning: Open Educational Resources” was distributed from 20.04. until 20.05.2021 among 137 directors of libraries of higher education institutions of Ukraine. Responses came from 77 libraries. The questionnaire consisted of 9 open-ended and closed-ended questions to allow researchers to get a holistic picture of the research process. Results. The analysis of 77 questionnaires showed that the vast majority of free HEI libraries in Ukraine have extensive experience in working with electronic educational resources. Ranking by resource type prove that 95.89% of library collections are the own generation resources (HEI authors): databases, incl. repositories. The concept of "Open Educational Resources" (OERs) is familiar and understandable to 84.42% of respondents. At the same time, 75.32% are already involved in supporting the OER. Librarians may catalog them (21.92%) or not catalog (32.88%). Among the OER types supported by librarians, educational materials (77.05%) and textbooks (55.74%) predominate. The closest partnership of librarians in OER support (except for teachers) is with the specialists of IT services (66.13%). Conclusions. Despite the still spontaneous, chaotic and little-studied nature of the library movement towards OER, librarians are well aware of this issue. At the same time, 96.1% of respondents want to improve their competencies in the direction of supporting open educational resources. This is very important, because it is the understanding and acceptance of OER that is crucial for a long-term vision of this movement. That is why specific aspects, such as organizational, economic, personnel and motivational, need urgent further study.

The Contribution of Information and Communication Technology to Social Inclusion and Exclusion during the Appropriation of Open Educational Resources

The information and communication technology (ICT) comprehends with the adoption and the development of open educational resources (OER) in the educational spheres. The vast existing body of knowledge portrays several positive aspects of ICT, as it is an enabler in various domains. Hence, the combination of ICT and OER negative aspects have been, as yet, under-investigated. This study aimed to investigate both the social inclusion and the social exclusion of ICT with users appropriating of OER in open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions. The qualitative approach was used to interpret the inclusion and exclusion factors concerned. The Model of Technology Appropriation was applied as a main theoretical underpinning of the study. The study findings show that ICT has both positive and negative impacts on the appropriation of OER. The various impacts are mostly recognisable in those developing countries where inequalities still exist, as some of the findings postulate that the innovation that is enabled through the utilisation of ICT tends to favour a select minority of rich people. For many students, ICT continues to perpetuate social exclusion. ICT innovation, including OER, has yet to fully support societal needs. Instead, it continues to promote the agendas of the global north. The study recommends the development initiatives to close the current gaps which contribute to the social exclusion. For instance, the installation of fibre optic in most deprived townships and villages can assist in eliminating inequalities associated with ICT infrastructure.

Open Educational Practices in Learning and Teaching of Computer Science

This paper shows several actions that address the use and development of open educational resources (OERs) and the utilisation of open source machine virtualization tools for Moodle course instantiation in a Computer Science-based Teacher Training course. The training is dedicated to show the basic characteristics and tools present in e-learning environments and to transmit the knowledge to develop educational resources and personalize different learning environments. The learning activities have been designed following the constructive approach, in the form of practical tasks that ensure the training of students in the self-implementation and personalisation of e-learning courses embedded into virtual machines. Students learn how to do the pedagogical design, to set up a delivery, and perform to develop their own resources and re-use from others. Finally, students have to assess the quality of the OERs following the UNE71362 standard. As a transversal pedagogical objective of the Master’s course, the learning aims to help the dissemination and awareness of the UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and fosters lifelong learning opportunities for all. In this sense, specific OER development for gender inclusion and accessibility for all learners has been promoted.

Typical OER (Open Educational Resources) Development Model for Prospective Vocational High School Teachers in Indonesia

ABSTRACT: Access to a quality learning materials in the era of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is increasingly massive, so it can solve problems such as imbalances in the quality of educational materials and access to the intended materials. Every country in the world strives to provide wide-open access through the use of web-based applications to facilitate and provide support to the population on the needs of teaching materials according to their needs. Distance learning can be one of the alternative solutions done easily by utilizing ICT infrastructure. In Indonesia, research on OER ( O pen E ducational R esources ) in the field of vocational education has not been widely carried out, more research has been conducted only on aspects of the application of OER in higher education in general. The purpose of this research is how to develop a typical OER development model for prospective vocational high school teachers in LPTK ( Lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan or Education Institute for Education Personnel )’s University based in an effort to improve their quality and competence. This research method uses DBR ( Design-Based Research ). Through a series of tests, it can be seen that the model developed has been able to improve student competence in achieving learning outcomes, through the implementation of pre-test and post-test at each practice session carried out. The results show that the average of the consensus from the experts for all aspects of the model that has been developed is 88.8%. This shows that the typical OER development model in this study is very feasible to be implemented widely. KEY WORDS: Information Technology; Educational Technology; Open Educational Resources; Design-Based Research. About the Authors: Saripudin, M.T. is a Student at the Technological and Vocational Education Study Program of SPs UPI (School of Postgraduate, Indonesia University of Education), Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi No.229 Bandung 40154, West Java, Indonesia. Pof. Dr. As'ari Djohar and Dr. Dedi Rohendi are the Lecturers at the Technological and Vocational Education Study Program of SPs UPI in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. For academic interests, the Authors are able to be contacted via e-mail address at: saripudin@upi.edu , asaridjohar@upi.edu , and dedir@upi.edu Suggested Citation: Saripudin, As'ari Djohar & Dedi Rohendi. (2021). “Typical OER (Open Educational Resources) Development Model for Prospective Vocational High School Teachers in Indonesia” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies , Volume 13(2), February, pp.131-152. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI with ISSN 1979-7877 (print) and ISSN 2621-587X (online). Article Timeline: Accepted (December 14, 2020); Revised (January 15, 2021); and Published (February 28, 2021).

Implications of the Delphi method in the evaluation of sustainability open education resource repositories

To better understand the sustainable development of open educational resources (OER), this paper aimed to break through the original ‘fixed’, highly structured evaluation system and develop an open and flexible “1 + X” evaluation framework of OER by using the modified Delphi method. “1” refers to the mandatory basic criteria that the repository must reflect essential attributes and core functions, which are consist of four components: information content, learning process, system technology, and user experience. “X” refers to optional distinctive criteria that the repository shall focus on one or more developmental orientations, which may include: resource evolution, international collaboration, inclusiveness and equality, open educational practices, and value-added services. Optional “X” criteria, in line with the criteria’s diversity aims, can lead to the sustainable development of OER and globalized lifelong learning. The framework of this study provides a basis for the evaluation and optimization of existing OER repositories, and also serves as functional scaffolding for the construction of new repositories.

Open Educational Resources in the Development of Digital Learning Environment

During the period of the forced transition of universities around the world to the online education, the demand for digital free access services has grown. A unique opportunity has appeared to supplement and develop the theoretical and methodological provisions of online learning based on the analysis of the empirical results that characterize the relevance and effectiveness of the digital environment parts. The educational materials free available at the Internet are the part of the digital environment, which are combined into the concept of open educational resources (OER). The purpose of the study is to assess the relevance of OER for faculty, systematize the main ways of working with them, identify the motives and barriers for the development of OER by faculty. The study conducted among the lecturers at Russian universities showed the high importance and value of OER for their teaching and methodological activities to create and develop the training course content in digital environment. More than half of the faculty staff create and distribute their copyright materials on the Internet on their own initiative for the convenience of their students. The faculty and students freely exchange educational materials using a variety of web services. In conditions of increasing demands on faculty and content of training-course, OER is a valuable resource for educational activities. The analysis of the regulatory framework revealed a lack of OER policy in Russian universities, which is one of the barriers for lecturers to create OER. The results of the study made it possible to develop recommendations for the development of OER in the field of higher education: consolidate the concept of OER in the regulatory framework of education, provide methodological and legal support for the creation and use of OER by faculty, and conduct an information campaign to reveal the prospects and advantages of using OER in higher education.

Incubators: Building community networks and developing open educational resources to integrate bioinformatics into life science education.

While it is essential for life science students to be trained in modern techniques and approaches, rapidly developing, interdisciplinary fields such as bioinformatics present distinct challenges to undergraduate educators. In particular, many educators lack training in new fields, and high‐quality teaching and learning materials may be sparse. To address this challenge with respect to bioinformatics, the Network for the Integration of Bioinformatics into Life Science Education (NIBLSE), in partnership with Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES), developed incubators, a novel collaborative process for the development of open educational resources (OER). Incubators are short‐term, online communities that refine unpublished teaching lessons into more polished and widely usable learning resources. The resulting products are published and made freely available in the NIBLSE Resource Collection, providing recognition of scholarly work by incubator participants. In addition to producing accessible, high‐quality resources, incubators also provide opportunities for faculty development. Because participants are intentionally chosen to represent a range of expertise in bioinformatics and pedagogy, incubators also build professional connections among educators with diverse backgrounds and perspectives and promote the discussion of practical issues involved in deploying a resource in the classroom. Here we describe the incubator process and provide examples of beneficial outcomes. Our experience indicates that incubators are a low cost, short‐term, flexible method for the development of OERs and professional community that could be adapted to a variety of disciplinary and pedagogical contexts.

Self-directed learners’ perceptions and experiences of learning computer science through MIT open courseware

ABSTRACT Given the rapid rise of open educational resources (OER) for informal learning pursuits impacting countless millions of people each day around the world, this study investigated the impact of the initiative that spearheaded this movement; namely, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) open courseware (OCW). More specifically, it explored self-directed learners’ perceptions of the impact of the MIT OCW, their social presences and cognitive presences while learning through MIT OCW online instructional videos. The data source of this study was learner comments regarding 23 instructional videos found in YouTube. Thematic analysis and computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) were used for data analysis. The results indicated that the impact of the MIT OCW served as the first step for career development and important educational decisions of myriad learners that served to benefit MIT programmes with future applicants. In addition, YouTube comments of the self-directed learners reflected a relatively lower social presence and higher cognitive presence compared to general social media. Meanwhile, self-directed learners encountered challenges such as technology issues, non-engaging teaching methods, and social learning needs. Perhaps the future OER and OCW development will, in fact, be designed for a more interactive and engaging experience for the self-directed learners of this world.

Automatic Syllabus-Oriented Remixing of Open Educational Resources Using Agent-Based Modeling

Rapid development of open educational resources (OER) is often motivated by a new educational paradigm. This paradigm tends to address current challenges such as reusing, goal-oriented remixing, revising, and redistributing OER. This paper proposes a system to automatically remix, which is a step towards automatic course generation. This system uses an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to profile OER and simulate the process of selecting and linking the appropriate ones. Each resource profile provides us with metadata that shows its domain and is completed using an appropriate ontology before agents’ interactions. ABM enables cooperation between OER to satisfy requirements of the input syllabus. Using the interaction ability, the most compatible agents, which cover the concepts of the input syllabus, can be linked. The efficiency of the proposed method is evaluated through applying the implemented system on two datasets: ARIADNE and SlideShare. In our experimental results on OER related to the domain of e-learning, we report on the system precision and user satisfaction. Our approach is generic; it can be used with any OER repository and any content management system with a free reuse and remix license.