OER1137a Short Paper (Part of Symposium OER1137) docx

"I was a terrestrial being but now I'm a cyber-being": sustaining OER through course design

Caroline Cash & Christina Bunce, University College Falmouth

Conference Theme: OER strategy and sustainability 

Abstract: In a post-Browne world, sustainability takes on an urgent priority for small, specialist arts institutions. OERs provide opportunity to raise the visibility of arts-based courses and to offer potential students an insight into the curriculum experience. There is, however, a tension between the traditional 'hands-on' experience of studio-based learning and the capabilities of on-line learning which results in some resistance to embedding an element of OER within courses offered at University College Falmouth (UCF).
This paper reports on a case study of working with the Department of Media to use the course design process to develop a series of CPD workshops supporting staff in creating OERs. The findings will, in particular, review understandings, perceptions and experiences of academics to IPR related to developing and repurposing OER. Through the JISC-funded Phase 2, OER, Open Materials for Accredited Courses, UCF is exploring how academics respond to elements of 'risk' in creating and repurposing resources for open access. Drawing on questionnaire analysis and workshop evaluation, this paper will explore how an awareness of IPR at an early stage of course design may reduce the time-consuming and angst-ridden experience of retrospectively requesting copyright permissions in order to make resources 'OER-able'.
It will explore the potential benefits of a renewed interest in the course design process, the ability to embrace new types of learners and the opportunity to explore multi-media and multi-modal pedagogies in creating and sharing reusable learning objects. It will also explore the challenges of creating communities of self-sustaining on-line practitioners and explore reasons why those that engage with OER modules may not take the opportunities offered to open their work to critical review by other course participants (an aspect crucial to studio-based learning).
Drawing on interviews with workshop participants and some scenarios from Phase 1 projects, this paper will explore the lessons learned with regard to the design of process, content and pedagogy in order to raise fundamental understanding of OER at both individual and institutional levels and with consideration of sustaining communities of arts practitioners.

Keywords: arts; sustainability; communities; course design; OER

 References:

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