Production Of Open Educational Resources Research Articles

Inclusive Digital Education on Open Platforms: A Case Study of the Complexity of the Future of Education

Open education platforms can be a valuable bridge supporting inclusive education. This article reports an international open education program conducted within the context of COVID-19. The guiding question was: What challenges lie ahead in the future of education, allowing open platforms to facilitate an inclusive digital education that considers special educational, contextual, and diverse learning needs? A case study involved 959 participants in five webinars. The results reported: (a) challenges facing open platforms for inclusive education, (b) current open practices for inclusion, (c) production of open educational resources for inclusion, (d) processes necessary for the production of open platforms, and (e) institutional requirements for inclusive digital education. The study is interest to academic, scientific, governmental, and societal communities and designers, computer developers, and decision-makers interested in educational practices promoting digital equity and inclusive education.

Students’ Digital Competence Development in the Production of Open Educational Resources in Education for Sustainable Development

Open education, Open Educational Practices (OEPs), and Open Educational Resources (OERs) have emerged as significant opportunities for enhancing global sustainability information sharing. However, the creation and sharing of OERs, as well as the usage of OEPs in Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD), remain limited. This study explores the implementation of OEPs in HESD, aiming to empower students to co-produce OERs on sustainable development (SD). This study, drawing on the theoretical approach of the principle of constructive alignment, proposes the development of students’ digital competence in OER production. A two-group pretest–posttest analysis of 409 students (Psychology, Economics, Education, Geography) reveals a significant increase in digital competence over time among students who produced OERs on SD, compared to their peers enrolled in courses unrelated to OER content development. We delve into the practical implications of designing OEPs in HESD and strategize to support students in their OER production processes.

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. 

Professor’s and student’s perspectives on digital education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: Online teaching, adaptation of courses and OER

Open educational resources (OER) and digital education (DE) have shown the ability to improve teaching and learning possibilities, particularly in light of unpredictably occurring events. Especially the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that universities were experiencing technological, socio-psychological, and didactic issues. In order to promote, enrich, and improve DE and OER for crises and beyond, this research article addresses specifically the target audiences of students and teachers in Library and Information Science (LIS) programs in Germany. A qualitative approach with interviews and focus groups was applied to identify, analyze and compare students’ and professors’ attitudes, experiences and problems in remote teaching and learning during a crisis. The results showed that LIS professors from our sample are experienced and innovative regarding the use of DE during a period of crisis. However, diverse obstacles for the use and production of OER for online education become visible. Students’ first difficulties with online learning could be resolved and show how quickly they were able to adjust to the new teaching environment. Both LIS professors and students recognize the advantages of employing DE and OER in higher education. They emphasize positive learning experiences based on flexibility when integrating DE and OER in LIS programs.

Level of Awareness of Faculty Members on Using Open Educational Resources in Jordanian Universities

The current study aims to investigate the level of awareness of faculty members on using open educational resources in Jordanian Universities. To achieve the aim of the study, the descriptive approach is used. The study sample consists of (390) faculty members in Jordanian universities, i.e. the University of Jordan, the Middle East University, Yarmouk University, Jerash University, Mutah University, and Aqaba University of Technology. Due to the nature of the study, a questionnaire instrument is developed, and its validity and reliability are verified. In its final electronic form, the questionnaire consisting of (29) items is distributed over (5) domains. The results show that the level of awareness of faculty members on using open educational resources in Jordanian Universities is of a medium level, where the domain of the importance of the open educational resources is ranked first, while the domain of the use of the open educational resources is ranked last. The study also shows that there are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the level of awareness of faculty members on using open educational resources in Jordanian universities according to the gender variable. Besides, the study shows that there is a relationship between the number of years of experience and the awareness of faculty members on using open educational resources in Jordanian universities according to the variable of the years of the experience, as the more years of experience are, the greater the awareness of using the open educational resources in universities. The study recommends encouraging public institutions and governments and the private sector to participate in the production of open educational resources and establish an OER platform where the entire teaching members in public and private universities in Jordan can participate.

Educational Innovation, Open Educational Resources, and Gender in Latin American Universities

This article analyses the professional identities of nine women academics from different universities and Latin American countries in their relationship with open education (OE) and the production of open educational resources (OERs) for teaching, as a significant key to understand the meaning of being an academic today in a social and economic context such as the Latin American one, and the perspectives this contributes to educational innovation. It arises from the need to deepen research on systemic structures of empowerment for open-access creation and publication, where gender is critical, considering the imbalances that are evident in other fields of educational technology, and specifically in the use of OERs. A qualitative methodology based on grounded theory was implemented, together with the biographical method and digital ethnography, with in-depth interviews with nine women academics from different areas of knowledge from Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Uruguay. The results offer an insight into their professional identities and how this is configured in relation to education, open educational resources, and educational innovation in university teaching. Participation in the open education movement provides a space for empowerment and mobilisation, which contributes to a transformative identity, as an emerging habitus, that underpins educational innovation in this field.

Open Textbooks: Quality and Relevance for Postsecondary Study in The Bahamas

Open educational resources (OER), are openly licensed text, media, and other digital and analog assets that are useful for teaching, learning, and research. Recent research has shown that in courses where open textbooks are assigned, students perform as well as or better than students in similar courses with commercially licensed textbooks. Despite cost savings and demonstrated effectiveness, perceptions about quality, relevance, ease of access, and other concerns persist. The objectives of this study were twofold: (a) to develop a practical and reusable measure for evaluating open textbook quality in terms of pedagogy, openness, accessibility, and relevance; and (b) to use the measure to rate the quality and relevance of open textbooks for use in higher education in The Bahamas. The study confirmed the viability of the quality measure as a practical tool to assess open resources and found that the open textbooks studied were accessible and well matched to course content, but of varying quality. More study is needed to explore ways to increase faculty adoption, use, adaption and production of OER.

Open educational practices (OEP) in the design of digital competence assessment

ABSTRACT This article presents the implementation of an assessment model for generic competences in K-12 enabled by open educational practices. It showcases a digital competence assessment model that outlines the design of competence assessment scenarios constructed by means of a collaborative process involving teachers from six European countries, learning designers, and researchers. Our study draws attention to the concept of open educational practices as a broad descriptor of four areas of teacher practice regarding design, content, teaching, and assessment. The process unfolds through three phases, where teachers’ engagement with collaborative processes and network-based tools facilitate the construction of active shared learning. It analyzes the joint creation of open practices, and the production of open educational resources. The scalability, flexibility, and adaptability of competence assessment scenarios underline their transferability to similar contexts. The experience may benefit educational institutions and communities of teachers interested in innovating and opening up education.

Toward a Critical Approach for OER: A Case Study in Removing the ‘Big Five’ from OER Creation

This paper examines the role of proprietary software in the production of open educational resources (OER). Using a single case study, the paper explores the implications of removing proprietary software from an OER project, with the aim of examining how complicated such a process is and whether removing such software meaningfully advances a critical approach to OER. The analysis reveals that software from the Big Five technology companies (Apple, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft) are deeply embedded in OER production and distribution, and that complete elimination of software or services from these companies is not feasible. The paper concludes by positing that simply rejecting Big Five technology introduces too many challenges to be justified on a pragmatic basis; however, it encourages OER creators to remain critical in their use of technology and continue to try to advance a critical approach to OER.

ESPANHOL COMO LÍNGUA ESTRANGEIRA (E/LE), ACCIÓN POÉTICA E XENOFOBIA: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA PEDAGÓGICA COM UM RECURSO EDUCACIONAL ABERTO NA PERSPECTIVA DOS LETRAMENTOS CRÍTICOS

RESUMO O presente trabalho versa sobre a produção de Recursos Educacionais Abertos (REA) na perspectiva dos Letramentos Críticos. O objetivo geral do estudo é investigar em que medida um Recurso Educacional Aberto (REA) na perspectiva dos Letramentos Críticos pode propiciar (ou não) affordances para a produção de eventos discursivos sensíveis a problemas sociais como a xenofobia. Os objetivos específicos da pesquisa são três, a saber: a) Apresentar o REA desenvolvido (objetivos do material, princípios teórico-metodológicos que nortearam o seu desenvolvimento, materiais e ferramentas utilizados durante a sua produção, etc.); b) Analisar duas amostras dos eventos discursivos oriundos desse REA, com vistas a identificar indícios de Letramentos Críticos; c) Discutir possibilidades teórico-metodológicas para o redesign desse material. O estudo foi desenvolvido na disciplina “Oficina de Produção Textual”, da Licenciatura em Letras Espanhol a Distância da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, em parceria com a Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UFSM/UAB). Nesse sentido, apresenta características de uma pesquisa qualitativa de cunho fenomenológico (BOGDAN e BIKLEN, 1996). Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que REA na perspectiva dos Letramentos Críticos podem propiciar affordances para a produção de eventos discursivos sensíveis a problemas sociais como a xenofobia, uma vez que, apesar da pequena quantidade de amostras analisadas, foi possível identificar indícios de um Letramento Crítico no que diz respeito a tal questão. Esperamos, futuramente, ampliar o número de amostras, apontando também casos que tiveram menor sucesso, bem como motivações possíveis para isso.

Open Educational Resources in Higher Education

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are changing the learning and teaching landscape in many different fields. In the area of higher education, OERs are swiftly becoming important elements in support of Open Educational Practices (OEPs) and the Open Education Movement. Research suggests that OERs and OEPs might be powerful vehicles for professional development, for teacher collaboration, and to enhance knowledge of technology in language pedagogy (Borthwick & Gallagher-Brett, 2014). Nonetheless, in spite of the increasing popularity of open education, little is known with regard to the production and use of OERs in languages other than English (Zancanaro & Amiel, 2017). This paper examines concepts, advantages and challenges related to Open Education and briefly reviews studies which discussed the production of OERs in languages other than English in higher education. The few studies addressing the development and use of OERs in languages other than English show that more research is needed to increase visibility of open education for less prominent languages and to support the Open Education Movement in higher education. DOI:10.2458/azu_itet_v6i1_berti

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) for Teaching Portuguese for Foreigners: A Case Study

Education is experiencing a period of change and the traditional models of education adopted by universities need to go through innovative processes to democratize knowledge, attract new learners and optimize resources. The use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) can contribute to such changes. However, studies on the reuse of OERs and language courses in the MOOC format are still scarce. To this end, the aims of this study are (a) to verify whether the OER production cycle proposed by Zancanaro (2015) in his framework could be used in part for the production and supply of MOOCs and (b) to present the production and to offer a process of the Portuguese Teaching MOOC for Foreigners (MOOC-PFL), developed at the Regional University of Blumenau. This is a case study that shows a production and offers cycle comprising the phases of analysis and design, coding, evaluation, dissemination and offering. Considering it was the first experience of the University with a MOOC course, it exceeded expectations, provided an increase in the institution’s and city’s visibility, contributed to the demystification of the OER use by the production and offer team and generated incentives for the production of new levels.

In-service teachers’ self-perceptions of digital competence and OER use as determined by a xMOOC training course

Digital Competence (DC) is considered a driver for educational innovation since its immediate result is the production of new digital media resources for teaching such as Open Educational Resources (OER). This study aims to determine teachers' DC through their participation in a MOOC training course and establish the extent to which DC better enables the production of OER. A group of 863 in-service teachers participated in the study. A 26-item validated questionnaire on DC and the use of OER was delivered to participants, and course facilitators' weekly reports were collected. An ordinal logarithmic regression was conducted to verify whether teachers who hold positive self-perceptions of DC are more prone to using OER in their teaching. Mean differences between traditional teaching and online teaching were also tested. Reports were content analysed using a SWOT matrix. Our model predicts that only in-service teachers that perceive themselves as digital experts can reach an intermediate level in the production of OER. Furthermore, online teaching significantly favours teachers' DC but is highly significant in OER production. The main implication is that training teachers' DC is required to prepare teachers for the use of OER; however, teacher education should first address teachers’ actual level of performance.

Learning from TESS-India’s Approach to OER Localisation Across Multiple Indian States

Arguably, the benefits of open educational resources (OER) are greatest in low- and middle-income countries, where they have the potential to increase access to learning for those who may otherwise be excluded. However, for OER to be truly useful to educators and learners they need to be adapted to suit the contexts in which they are to be employed. Adapting OER for local contexts remains one of the greatest challenges for the OER movement (Wolfenden and Buckler, 2012) yet little is written about how to support communities of users to adapt materials. This study explores what kind of support is necessary for such communities of users, with the intention of creating a framework for guided localisation of OER across different cultural contexts. The paper reports on the initial approach to OER localisation adopted by the Open University UK-led TESS-India (Teacher Education through School-based Support) project which is developing OER for use within India’s teacher education system. TESS-India, which underwent a large-scale re-framing exercise in early 2014, aims to enhance the access of teacher educators, head-teachers and teachers to free, highquality educational materials. The project spans multiple, culturally and linguistically diverse Indian states and the resources, therefore, require localisation to meet diverse linguistic, cultural and pedagogic needs. TESS-India adopted a two-tier model of localisation. A CC-BY-SA license for all resources allows for adaptation by end users as long as the original author is attributed and the resource is shared under the same license as the original version. However, a stage of supported, state-level adaptation will be embedded within the production process and our research focuses on this stage. We collected evidence from early localisation workshops which aimed to trial localisation of these initial OERs. These workshops took place between November 2013 and February 2014, using participant observation and interviews with workshop participants to inform a detailed examination of the ways in which the workshop facilitators supported the resource localisers in adapting the TESS-India OER to meet local needs. Our study findings highlight some challenges to localising OER for use across different cultural contexts, including the complexities of managing translation, the need to navigate localisers’ perceptions, preferences and professional experience as educators, and localisers’ unfamiliarity with OER and online learning. Our study of the TESS-India localisation workshops has also highlighted possible barriers to full engagement with OER in contexts such as India, where hierarchical understandings around knowledge ownership, and localisers’ subsequent reluctance to adapt resources, can be in tension with the aims of the OER movement to achieve an ‘embedded’ engagement with OER (Wild, 2012) in the interests of true openness. OER initiatives have been criticised for promoting one-directional flows of knowledge and resources (Glennie et al, 2012). We argue that when collaboration is embedded within OER production and localisation, their creation and use can lead to a knowledge partnership approach whereby communities of OER practice engage in mutually beneficial sharing of expertise and contextual understanding. Drawing on the supported localisation process of TESS-India, we explore how such collaboration could better contribute towards the international – but also very local - pursuit of quality education.

The use and production of OER & OCW in teaching in South African higher education institutions: Case Study

With thousands of materials having been produced and shared openly and freely on the Internet as Open Educational Resources (OER) or OpenCourseWare (OCW), the focus of the Open Education movement has shifted toward the need to demonstrate how such materials are being used, by whom and with what impact. This paper reports on the uses, the motivation for and perceived benefits of use, as well as the challenges of using or producing OER/OCW among academics at public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa (SA). Findings revealed widespread use of OER/OCW amongst respondents in their teaching endeavors, with a number of reported benefits. Findings also revealed respondents’ educational rationale for using or producing OER/OCW. Identified challenges to using or producing OER/OCW are related to licensing issues, institutional challenges or infrastructural problems. The paper proposes several recommendations to advance the use and production of OER/OCW in SA public higher education.

International partnerships in developing and deploying health open educational resources

AbstractLack of training opportunities for new and practicing health care professionals constitutes a major barrier to patient care in many developing countries. Open Educational Resources (OER) hold the potential to provide more training materials and alternative learning opportunities for health professionals. OER are teaching and learning materials made freely and openly available for students, faculty, and self learners around the world. OER is not an online distance learning program. The focus of OER is on scaling up teaching and learning capacity in partner institutions by co‐creating new learning materials and converting existing materials into OER.The context for which OER content is produced is often different from the contexts in which it is used. Thus, one of the major challenges of OER is to understand how to create a sustainable OER model to ensure that OER production and use fit different learning and teaching environments. The panel will share their perspectives on the following issues: How are different types of OER created and packaged for delivery and use? What are the challenges brought about by different contexts of knowledge creation and use? How do we design new tools and leverage the existing tools (Sakai course management system, Adobe Connect and similar web conferencing systems, OpenCast and lecture capture systems) to facilitate the creation and use of knowledge? How can we produce sustainable models of OER creation and use?