Archive for the ‘Open Access’ Category

Download Report: Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2015-16

Most higher education faculty are unaware of open educational resources (OER) – but they are interested and some are willing to give it a try. Survey results, using responses of over 3,000 U.S. faculty, show that OER is not a driving force in the selection of materials – with the most significant barrier being the […]

Pearson CEO Fallon Talks Common Core, Rise of ‘Open’ Resources

Few corporate brand names in education are as recognizable, and as polarizing, as Pearson, the giant education provider whose reach extends to virtual schools, testing, language training and an array of other areas. Education Week

Ten years of open practice: a reflection on the impact of OpenLearn

The Open University (OU) makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University’s social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the public, but increasingly its students are using it to inform module choice, to augment their studies […]

Creating Open Textbooks: A Unique Partnership Between Oregon State University Libraries and Press and Open Oregon State

This article presents Oregon State University’s experience launching an innovative Open Textbook initiative in spring 2014. The partners, Open Oregon State and the Oregon State University Libraries and Press, aimed to reduce the cost of course materials for students while ensuring the content created was peer-reviewed and employed multimedia capabilities. This initiative sought to showcase […]

Evaluating an Open Access Publishing Fund at a Comprehensive University

INTRODUCTION As the open access movement has fostered a shift from subscriber-funded journals to author-pays models, scholars seek funding for the dissemination of their research. In response to this need, some libraries have established open access funds at their institutions. This paper presents an evaluation of an open access fund at a comprehensive university. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM/SERVICE Wanting […]

A Systematic Analysis and Synthesis of the Empirical MOOC Literature Published in 2013–2015

A deluge of empirical research became available on MOOCs in 2013–2015 and this research is available in disparate sources. This paper addresses a number of gaps in the scholarly understanding of MOOCs and presents a comprehensive picture of the literature by examining the geographic distribution, publication outlets, citations, data collection and analysis methods, and research […]

Download Report: New OECD Publication: Open Educational Resources: A Catalyst for Innovation

Open Educational Resources: A Catalyst for Innovation Education is the key to economic, social and environmental progress, and governments around the world are looking to improve their education systems. The future of education in the 21st century is not simply about reaching more people, but about improving the quality and diversity of educational opportunities. How […]

Supporting Access to Open Online Courses for Learners of Developing Countries

This paper examines how access to, and use of, open educational resources (OER) content may be enhanced for nonnative learners in developing countries from a learner perspective. Using analysis of the open education concept, factors that affect access to OER content, and universal standards for delivering multimedia learning, the author demonstrates that the open concept, […]

Open and distance learning – Access and success

As the world conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education approaches, ICDE President Tian Belawati – rector of Indonesia’s enormous open institution Universitas Terbuka – says that the twin messages of open, distance and flexible learning are “access and success”. University World News

MOOCs and The Silicon Valley Narrative

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have generated considerable media interest, more than other education initiatives such as Open Education Resources (OERs). In this article the author argues that this can be seen as an example of the battle for narrative in open education. MOOCs attracted media interest because they appealed to broader narratives such as […]