Week 3 - Imagining the Future of OER

Re: Week 3 - Imagining the Future of OER

by Paul Stacey -
Number of replies: 0
Scott's a bit sick this week so hasn't been able to lead us in this discussion as much as he wanted.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's vision of the future for OER and what they are doing to help make that future happen.

I think OER have had some early adoption but by no means have become mainstream. I think there are significant cultural, financial, and legal barriers to be overcome for OER to become pervasive. However, I'm really encouraged by the acts of "copy kindness" occurring at the individual level outside of formal institutional parameters.

Thought I'd gaze into my crystal ball too and came up with the following as potential OER futures:

I imagine OER that are not the solo works of one faculty member but group works of teams of faculty members all sharing a common interest in a particular subject area or academic domain. The very vision of OER is based on collective creation process.

I imagine OER that are not just the works of teams of faculty but all the students who have taken the course previously. This in my view is the biggest absent component from OER at this point – students, not just faculty, are knowledge creators. Future students can benefit from seeing the work of previous students. Students will be more motivated and highly vested if we saw them as not mere recipients of knowledge but equal co-creators. I'd love to see students producing OER's as part of their academic work.

I imagine OER that are not just content based but include the complete course including discussion, learning activities, assignments and assessment rubrics

I imagine OER that include an opportunity to interact with the instructor and other students interested in the OER.

I imagine OER that represent complete academic programs not just courses or learning objects.

I imagine OER that include an option for getting a credential for achieving the learning outcomes associated with the OER. I’ve begun to imagine a possible time where the credential comes not from the institution but from the faculty themselves. Especially for “famous” or esteemed faculty such as those featured in http://www.thegreatcourses.com

I imagine OER with varying degrees of “openness”. Open at an institutional level, open at a community level, open at a state or provincial level, open at a national level, open with “education free trade” partners, open globally.
I imagine OER that provide financial (or other) rewards to anyone who creates derivatives that substantially improve the original.

Paul