Hi everyone,
Quality assurance and credible credentials are the foundations on which the OERu is being built.
It is not in the interests of OERu partners to engage in practices which could jeopardize their stature or accreditation status. The OERu will not compromise on quality.
At the1st meeting of OERu Founding Anchor partners we confirmed that contributing partners joining the network must be recognised and accredited institutions within their own jurisdictions, but that this was not sufficient. To facilitate cross-credit within the network, anchor partners will aim to quality assure the courses and open education practices that occur between the course and credential and to agree processes for this purpose. True to the remix philosophy of open, we agreed to reuse and adapt existing tools and procedures, most notably the quality frameworks developed by the European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning (EFQUEL) under the OPAL and OERTest initiatives. We also agreed to approach the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) for guidance and support in adopting and modifying the Transnational Qualifications Framework (TQF) for the OERu which was originally developed for the Virtual University of Small States of the Commonwealth. The OERu will be meeting at COL headquarters on 4 November 2013 to progress work on the TQF.
Questions for our discussion in preparing for the 2nd meeting of anchor partners:
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How should the OERu partners promote and ensure quality?
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What are the issues associated with an institution with questionable quality standards joining the OERu?
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How do quality perceptions of the OERu model impact on standing with regional qualification authorities around the world?
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What advice can you offer the OERu move the quality agenda forward?
With due recognition to the complexities of quality, looking forward to a productive discussion for the OERu to progress the implementation of agreed quality assurance mechanisms for OERu courses.