Paul Stacey

In my own presentations and conversations with others on the OERu many participants have expressed discomfort over OERu discussions focusing exclusively on working within existing traditional education models.

Some participants in the Jumping Right In discussion thread have made similar comments. A sampling includes:

Mary Pringle suggesting the OERu "articulate processes and standards for becoming part of a professional or scholarly community for online and distance learners--I imagine the guild-like online groups that have sprouted up around various DIY activities, for example."

Asif Devji asking, "Does focusing on credentials not reinforce the logic (dare I say hegemony) of traditional educational institutions?" and goes on to say, "I guess I was hedging towards a model in which OERs, or an OERu, could be used to help people without access to a university education build portfolios of work in their chosen fields and prepare for job-skills testing -- thereby developing a workaround to university credentialing while nonetheless gaining 'credible' experience/knowledge of the field."

Wayne Mackintosh thinks, "the trick is not to innovate beyond the capacity of institutions or society to integrate those innovations", and that there are, "a number of projects which are better equipped and experienced to respond to the needs of "informal", "non-formal" and "Edupunk-like" learning -- for example, P2PU, initiatives like the Saylor Foundation and many dimensions of the MOOC model."

So I thought I'd try and separate the two conversations. The Jumping Right In discussion is seeking to use OER within the traditional education model where institutions are key partners and enablers.

This Non-traditional OERu Models thread is devoted to non-traditional model ideas for the OERu.

Use this thread to share your more radical ideas and aspirations for the OERu. How would it work? What are OER making possible that wasn't possible before and how would an OERu help make that happen?

Paul

Great comments so far!

A critical decision the OERu faces is whether to define its own overarching strategy, policy, and framework for qualification and assessment or simply go with the processes used by its academic partners.

There are significant challenges around simply going with qualification frameworks of partners. As Wayne points out "We already have PLA policies and systems in place at many of our institutions - so lets use these as a starting point. However, how do we make them better? The trouble with existing PLA systems is that they are relatively expensive for students and they do not scale well. How do we cater for millions of additional learners in a more cost effective way?"

In a broader context I like the way the European Union puts it:
"New qualifications proliferate worldwide and countries are constantly changing their qualification systems and educational structures. With an increasing number of mobile citizens seeking fair recognition of their qualifications outside their home countries, the non-recognition and poor evaluation of qualifications is now a global problem. Since original credentials alone do not provide sufficient information, it is very difficult to gauge the level and function of a qualification without detailed explanations."

The European Union quote comes from their work on the Diploma Supplement. Kudos to the European Union for its work on:

• the European Qualifications Framework
• the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, and
• the Diploma Supplement

All of which to me seem related to what the OERu is tackling.

Does the OERu need to adopt a similar overarching approach within which all OERu partners fit or let a thousand flowers bloom?

Should future OER development be encouraged to position itself within a global OERu qualifications and assessment framework? Or simply continue to develop OER for specific institutional goals?

Paul

The possibility of defining a credential using OER is intriguing. There are a variety of post secondary credentials that could be developed including certificates, diplomas, bachelor's degrees and graduate degrees.

Most jurisdictions around the world have established a framework for post secondary credentials. See the Ontario Qualification Framework for example. For each credential the framework defines a range of attributes including admission requirements, duration of study (expressed as number of instructional hours), and depth and breadth of knowledge.

OERu accrediting institutions, such as the existing anchor partners, will likely be working within a similar framework. One approach to defining OER credentials is to structure them in such a way that they align with these frameworks.

Do you think OERu should focus on using these frameworks or design credentials in a different way?

A great deal of the OER currently available have not been developed as complete credentials. Instead OER are largely courses or more typically course components. A challenge in designing an OERu credential is assembling these smaller units into a coherent credential framework.

So lets say I want to use the Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative OER in creating a credential. If you access the For Students section of their site they explicitly state what is being made available. Course Materials, Simulations, Computer Based Tutors, Virtual Laboratories, Self-Assessments, and Formative Feedback are all freely available to students as OER. But look at what isn't part of the OER - Access to an Instructor, Graded Exams, Tracks Student-Learning as Feedback for Instructors, Credit/Verification of Course Completion. So a significant challenge around using these OER resources in creating a credential is fulfilling all the elements not part of the OER. OERu anchor partners have the opportunity to take on any or all of these elements as part of their role.

I've jumped right in to the deep end of this Designing OERu Credentials so let me stop there and ask all of you some questions:

• What are your ideas for designing an OERu credential?
  
• What do you think the first OERu credential should be?
• What existing OER do you see being used for that credential?
• How would your institution or the OERu anchor institutions support students pursuing that credential?

Paul

Don:

Thanks for the link to your paper - interesting analysis.

Wanted to correct your perception that my comments were an indication that I felt video is over-hyped. Video is becoming huge and its use very diverse. If anything we're under-hyping videos potential.

I was particularly struck by a comment Michael Strangelove left me saying he's eliminated ALL written (paper-based) assignments from his many courses and now requires all students to make a research-based video and write a blog. Read that again - eliminated all written paper based assignments! Video and blogging are new forms of academic expression and assessment.

Paul

Pheo:

I've been thinking quite a lot about the use of video in education. Like you I appreciate the visual component. However, I find that straight video conferencing or even web cam's in Elluminate, while great for providing an initial sense of identity and personality, are not exactly captivating over a lengthy time. This is further exacerbated if the bandwidth issues result in the audio being out of synch with the video (I find it almost impossible to watch for very long video of talking heads where the lips are out of synch with the audio).

I think we've constrained our thinking about the video channel too much. I look forward to seeing video be used in cinematic ways to show not only faces, but places, demos, walking tours, social interactions, drama, ...

Paul