OER1137 Symposium

Friday 13 May 09.30 Breakout Room 6

Symposium Short Papers (4):

1. "I was a terrestrial being but now I’m a cyber-being": sustaining OER through course design. Caroline Cash & Christina Bunce, University College Falmouth (OER1137a) docx
2. Is there a dichotomy between individual and institutional engagement with OER? Tom Browne, University of Exeter (OER1137b) doc
3. Giving it all away or making it together? An emerging political economy for sustainable OER engagement in Higher Education. John Casey, Hywell Davies, Chris Follows, Nancy Turner & Ed Webb-Ingall, University of the Arts London (OER1137c) doc
4. Web2.0 is the future of OER. Alex Fenlon, HEA Engineering Subject Centre, Loughborough University (OER1137d) doc

The art of sustainable engagement with OERs

Chair: Tom Browne, University of Exeter

Conference Themes: OER strategy and sustainability

Intended audience: Academics, education managers, higher education professionals

Background & rationale: Sustainability of funded OER initiatives is a thorny issue and encompasses a number of understandings and approaches at a range of levels:

• Sector wide – how OERs are placed within consideration of the Browne review of fees and the increased competition to attract students.
• Strategic – how institutional strategies normalise the embedding of OER into the course development process in order to engage with an expanded range of pedagogic approaches.
• Disciplinary and interdisciplinary – how academics explore the use of OERs to extend subject-based boundaries and synthesise new networks of knowledge. This symposium paper comprises two STEM-based projects and two arts-based projects.
• Scholarly engagement - Generating and sustaining on-line communities through OER who together engage in a process of enquiry into the field of knowledge and the processes of on-line dissemination of knowledge.
• Dichotomies - individual academic v. institutional perspectives and attitudes towards OER. The possibilities of addressing tensions and achieving alignment.
• Technology – aspects of longevity, reliability, networking, platforms, contrivance versus serendipity of digitally supported networking.
• CPD – how the development of OERs has influenced the development of CPD, particularly with consideration of the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning. An appreciation of new applications of pedagogic theory and issues of supporting and sustaining learners in on-line environments.

Main idea(s) to be explored: This symposium of papers will explore approaches from a number of institutions that have developed OERs through the HEFCE-funded and JISC/HEA-managed projects in both phase 1 (2009-2010) and phase 2 (2010-2011). University of Exeter, HEA Engineering Subject Centre, University of Arts London and University College Falmouth all developed OERs in the first JISC/HEA initiative and are continuing to do so under continuing funding. Having explored issues of sustainability in the first round, the second phase of development allows these institutions to comprehend and design sustainability at the outset, both at a micro level through considerations of platform and networks, but also at macro-level through institutional strategies and sector-wide networks. This symposium will share some of the challenges and resolutions around contested notions of sustainability.

How will discussion be facilitated? Discussion will be facilitated through the use of scenarios and exploration of oppositional views. For example, whether OERs may be viewed as a key marketing tool for institutions or as tools to expand the horizons of learning and research. A series of oppositional statements may be produced, arising from each project context, which will allow delegates to explore their own institutional and disciplinary contexts.

Keywords: sustainability; oer, cpd; interdisciplinary

References:

Casey, J., Brosnan, K., Greller, W. (2005) Prospects for using learning objects and learning design as staff development tools in HE TrustDR http://trustdr.ulster.ac.uk/outputs.php

Di Savoia, A., (2009) ‘Creating OER for Art, Design, Media and Performance students’ OpenEd 2009 Vancouver

McGill, L., Currier, S., Duncan, C., Doublas, P., (2008) Good Intentions: improving the evidence base in support of sharing learning materials JISC http://ie-repository/jisc.ac.uk/265

 Pegler, C. (2010) How can we achieve sustainability in OER ‘The Leeds Manifesto’ SCORE http://www8.open.ac.uk/score/news/oer-and-sustainability-leeds-manifesto

Rodway-Dyer, S. (2010) OER Evaluation Report University of Exeter