Session « OER in Practice 1 »

Moderator: Gosia KurekRapporteure: Katerina Zourou

Themes emerging from the discussion

Higher education challenges and expectations for OER uptake:

• Fear of open spaces - agoraphobia!• Lack of sharing culture• Fear of competition within and outside institution• Fear of transparency and criticism• Fear of technology• Low awareness of IPR, etc.

BUT ALSO:

+ Digital scholars at HEIsChange towards +openness; social connectivity => a more positive approach to OER

Themes emerging from the discussion (2)OER and new business modelsSome countries promoting cooperation between publishers and open access providers (e.g. Finland); in other countries dichotomies are more present => at the quest for new business models allowing the co-existence of copyright protected and open content?

=> Quality of resources: different expectations by different stakeholders (quality= recognition of a single author? Peer reviews? Format?)

Further explore how new services that publishers offer can present an entry to new business models

Themes emerging from the discussion (3)Appropriation of OER in local contexts• Adaptation is more than translation• Teaching resources may remain unexplored if the adaptation is

not appropriate • Each language – every LUL -corresponds to a completely

different teaching context, cultural different communities – great disparity cultural awareness should prompt greater instructional flexibility

and lead to the creation of culturally adaptive materials

Themes emerging from the discussion (4)Community engagement; bottom-up dynamicsLesser-used languages make big achievements (i.e. TESS India, OEPS, KlasCement).Some thoughts to see more examples in this direction:

-Moving beyond a « purist » approach to OER? facilitate the co-existence of OER with non-OER (i.e. Photodentro, Greece, enables merging of OER and UGC)-approach OER not as off the shelf,polished products but as work in progress-get inspired by crowdsourced, totally bottom-up initiatives (OpenStax, Open Translation project, Amara) and rethink of the role of communities in OER uptake for lesser used languages

RecommendationsTo the Commission:1.1 Revitalise the commitment to OER that it expressed in Opening Up Education, with a particular focus on OER in LUL as a means of maintaining cultural and linguistic diversity.To governments/governance structures in nations and regions2.8 Support collaboration with other nations or regions in establishing quality OER in LUL.New recommendation:• Be open and attentive to what speakers of LUL already do in crowdsourced

spaces while enriching open resources in this LUL; support them in their struggle for sustainability.