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OEPS Final Report launched!
The core message of the final report from the OEPS project is that innovative practice that puts students first can ensure that open education breaks down barriers to participation in education. The report is published today (Monday 11th September) to coincide with the ‘Promise of Open Education’ Conference at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth.
The report provides evidence and case studies from across the Scottish sector. It highlights the potential of working across boundaries, an approach that enabled the OEPS project to co-create fifteen new free, open online courses with organisations like Dyslexia Scotland and Parkinson’s UK. OEPS found a high level of interest in the use of these online courses in the informal education sector with almost half of the organisations involved coming from the third sector, trade unions or employers.
The OEPS project was concerned with developing good open educational practice that supports widening participation and social justice. Working with organisations that support non-traditional students provided the team with valuable insights into the barriers that online learning can present. The report links to a range of reports and guidance material designed to help educators, course designers and widening participation practitioners enable the barriers to be overcome.
The report highlights innovative practice from across the Scottish sector but suggests that more needs to be done to provide a policy framework that can embed this practice in the mainstream. It suggests that wherever possible educational materials should be released as open by default.
The report stresses the value of institutional collaboration in the use of open educational resources and recommends that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council consider systems, support mechanisms and policies that can facilitate and sustain such partnerships.
The report is essential reading whether you’ve never heard of open education before or whether you are a seasoned open educator. We encourage everyone to read the OEPS Final Report.
Pete Cannell
OEPS Co-Director
This post is published as one of many celebrating Open Education in the run up to the OEPS final event, The Promise of Open Education at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on Monday 11th September. Join the conversation before, during and after the event with the hashtag#BeOpen’. We are livestreaming on the day via Periscope and there will be a Twitter chat in the afternoon using #BeOpen and @OEPScotland.
Mapping OEP in Scotland: Your Stories
Haven’t checked out the OEPS Hub in a while? Don’t miss the opportunity to browse the latest additions, including a growing number of mini-case studies of best practice across the sector, with advice and tips from people who are experimenting and developing open practices and initiatives across Scotland, as well as a variety of perspectives on openness. Case studies recently released include:
- Natalie Lafferty’s journey to becoming an “advocate of OER” at Dundee University and developing students’ open practices. What were the outcomes of students creating their own OER?
- A chance to find out more about Strathclyde’s FutureLearn MOOC and how a joined up approach to promoting and engaging with the community widens access to Higher Education. Find out more in our interview with Stephanie McKendry;
- Senior Librarian Marion Kelt on the development of Glasgow Caledonian University’s OER policy, what motivated its development and the impact. If your institution is considering developing a policy, Marion’s also got some invaluable advice in this interview;
- At the national level, find out more about Open Scotland and the development of the Scottish Open Education Declaration in an interview with Lorna Campbell;
- Finally, don’t forget to read our interview with Lesley Bryce, one of the first students to use the Open University in Scotland open course for carers Caring Counts, and the impact of this confidence building OER.
Thanks to everyone who has taken part in an interview to date; it’s been great to capture your thoughts and experiences. If you enjoyed reading these, and would like to talk with us about your own open practices and what’s happening where you are, please get in touch! You can tweet me @BeckPitt or contact the OEPS project.
Photo/Picture credits (from top left): Natalie Lafferty (via Twitter), Lorna Campbell (via her blog, CC-BY 3.0), Stephanie McKendry (via her Strathclyde profile), “Open, Open, Open” (CC-BY 4.0 International, Beck Pitt), “Life is Sharing” (CC-BY 2.0, Alan Levine)
