What is open education?

Summary

In this video, Martin Weller from The Open University explores the concept of open education, highlighting its complexities and significance. He identifies eight distinct clusters of open education, including open educational practices, open access publishing, and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Weller argues that open education facilitates knowledge sharing and blurs the lines between formal and informal learning, making education more accessible. While not all open education resources are free, the essence lies in their ability to remove barriers and encourage collaboration, ultimately providing an antidote to commercially driven educational models.

Takeaways

• 📚 Open education encompasses various aspects, including traditional classroom practices, distance education, and online learning.
• 🔍 Research conducted identified eight distinct clusters related to open education, highlighting its complexity.
• 🌐 The Open University model emphasizes distance education, allowing students to learn anytime and anywhere without formal qualifications.
• 💻 E-learning is increasingly recognized as a significant part of open education, especially as education moves online.
• 🎓 Open Educational Resources (OER) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) provide free educational content accessible to a wide audience.
• 🧑‍🏫 Open Educational Practice involves innovative teaching methodologies, such as open pedagogy, that integrate open education principles.
• 📖 Open access publishing promotes the availability of academic publications at no cost, increasing knowledge accessibility.
• 🤝 Social media serves as a platform for open scholarship, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing among academics.
• 🚫 Open education aims to remove barriers to knowledge, facilitating better sharing and creation of new knowledge.
• 💡 Open education blurs the lines between formal and informal learning, allowing for flexible educational pathways.

Q & A

What is open education?

Open education refers to a broad umbrella concept that encompasses various approaches to education that remove barriers to access and promote sharing knowledge. It includes practices in schools, distance education, open educational resources, MOOCs, open educational practices, open access publishing, and open scholarship.

What are the distinct clusters identified in open education research?

The research identified eight distinct clusters: open education in schools, traditional distance education, e-learning, MOOCs, open educational resources, open educational practices, open access publishing, and the use of social media by academics.

How does open education differ from formal education?

Open education can include formal education, such as degrees offered by open universities, as well as informal learning through resources like MOOCs and open educational resources. It blurs the boundaries between formal and informal education.

Why does open education matter?

Open education matters because it facilitates the sharing of knowledge, removes barriers to access, and fosters the combination of different types of knowledge to create new understanding. It can also counteract commercially driven educational models.

Is open education free?

Open education is not necessarily free. While many resources like MOOCs and open access publications should be freely accessible, formal education programs may require fees. It's important to recognize that certain academic support and accreditation should also be compensated.

What are MOOCs?

MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are a type of open educational resource that allows large numbers of participants to access online courses and materials, often without the need for formal qualifications.

What is the role of open educational resources (OER)?

Open educational resources are freely accessible materials that can be used for teaching, learning, and research. They are intended to enhance educational opportunities without the constraints of traditional educational resources.

How can open education improve the educational process?

Open education improves the educational process by removing barriers to access, fostering collaboration and innovation, and allowing diverse learning pathways, which can enhance overall learning outcomes.

What does 'open scholarship' refer to?

Open scholarship refers to the use of social media and other open platforms by academics to share their research and engage with the public, contributing to the broader goals of open education.

What is the importance of licenses in open education?

Licenses in open education are crucial as they determine how resources can be reused, shared, and adapted. They enable the removal of barriers and encourage collaborative learning and teaching.