Hi Nasr,
Excellent questions -- the purpose of the pre-meeting seminar as well as the
open planning meeting scheduled for 23 February 2011 is to identify the range of questions we should be asking and to start finding the answers. The kinds of questions you are asking are exactly what we are looking for - Thanks for starting the process :-).
On the
OER university page there are two graphics we're using to help structure our thinking -- I'm sure these will change and improve as we move forward, especially after input from the SCoPE seminar and the meeting itself.
However I should clearly communicate that the anchor partners (i.e. Athabasca University, the University of Southern Queensland, Otago Polytechnic, BCcampus and the OER Foundation) working on the "OER university concept" see quality assurance and institutional accreditation as the cornerstone or foundation of the project. OER learners must be able to attain credible qualifications which are trusted and respected.
I should also point out that any formal education institution, who cares about the educational value of sharing knowledge, who wants to join the "OER university" concept free to do so - -we're not a closed shop.
A closing comment -- there are exemplary projects working in the sphere of peer-based open and networked learning on the net, for example the P2PU project. The "OER university" concept does not discount or intend to compete with the value of informal networked learning or the DIY University. I think we need to think about the OER landscape as an evolving ecosystem. The "OER university" does not want to replicate the amazing work being done international to support informal learners - rather, we want to see how the formal education sector can add value to realising free learning for all students worldwide.
Great questions!
Cheers
Wayne
