The idea of open education has spread to hundreds of educational institutions, foremost higher education and adult learning
institutions, across the globe. “Giving away knowledge for free” (OECD 2007) seemed like a revolutionary idea. It fascinates
educators, interests learners, scares publishing houses and challenges educational organizations who view selling produced
knowledge as their core-business.
OER as a term was first used by UNESCO in 2002, and since then the concept has spread epidemically. The OER movement has been successful in promoting the idea that knowledge is a public good, creating incentive for organisations and individuals to publish OER. However, the potential of OER to transform educational practice has not yet been realized.
The purpose of this 23rd issue of eLearning Papers on Open Education is to further our understanding of the way in which open access and open educational resources impact educational practices in organizations, learners, and other stakeholders, both now and in the future.
Highlights
- From Open Educational Resources to Open Educational Practices: Ulf-Daniel Ehlers, Director of the European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning, University of Duisburg-Essen
- Diffusion and adoption of OER: Andy Lane, Director, OpenLearn and Cornelis Adrianus (Kees-Jan) van Dorp, Research Director, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU)
- Fostering Open Educational Practices, Patrick McAndrew, Associate Director (Learning & Teaching) , Institute of Educational Technology The Open University
- Towards a Culture of Openness in Education in Latin America: J. Vladimir Burgos-Aguilar, Full time Liaison Officer of Innovation and Educational Technology , Center for Innovation in Technology and Education (Innov@TE) and Maria Soledad Ramirez-Montoya, Principal of the Chair of the investigation group, Group of Innovation in Technology and education in Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM).
16 March 2011