Part of the Phase2 OMAC strand synthesis

 

This section draws together what projects have said and is in mainly in their own words. These findings have been synthesised across into the main report findings pages. Coloured excerpts are from project final reports - bold emphasis is mine (LM) to highlight key points. Coloured excerpts are from project final reports or evaluation reports EDOR (EDOR final report), ASSAP, IPR4EE, CPD4HE CPD4HE final report , DELILA, Open for Business, ACTOR, Learning to Teach Inclusively, RLT for PA

 

These links allow you to jump to the sections on this page  What kinds of OERs are being adopted and re-used, and how? How can OERs be integrated into different curriculum processes of the various partner institutions? What is the impact on student experience?  What is the impact on staff of release and use? Impact of the process Digital Litreacies - oer literacy Access to OERs Changes in practice Multi-disciplinary collaboration - cross team working  How widespread are the OERs being used across participating institutions and across the sector? Do the OERs support/enhance/promote the subject to staff and students?

 

 

 What kinds of OERs are being adopted and re-used, and how?

Projects have no evidence relating to this so far but many are comitted to collecting this information as their resources start being used. Project evaluation activities have sometimes highlighted what kinds  of OERs are in demand.

• In terms of topic, through our steering group we have learned that resources on e-learning are in demand and workshop participants and mailing list comments tell us that resources on Values are also needed; this was underlined by the Adademy at an early OMAC strand meeting.  CPD4HE

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How can OERs be integrated into different curriculum processes of the various partner institutions?

This links to the models adopted and the intstitution's openness to change policies and procedures. In this strand the CPD focus has meant that inclusion of OER release and use has been incorporated/embedded into teacher training - an approach advocated by many pilot programme projects

• Partly this was due to the structure of the Academic Development team at the University of Exeter, which operates a “hub-and-spoke” model.  Hence, there is a small team of full-time Academic Developers complemented by academic members of staff seconded to work part-time as part of the Academic Development team. OPENSTEM
• The Open STEM project appears to have demonstrated the effectiveness of our Academic Development “hub and spoke” model at the University of Exeter.  This is now due to be expanded to other disciplines, which will ensure that new subject-specific resources are created and that there is a sustainable impact of the project. OPENSTEM
• The most significant impact within the institution has been the transformation of the programme into a truly STEM-specific course, not just in terms of the materials which have been developed and uploaded to Labspace, but in terms of the evidence-based pedagogical approach. 
• Further use, enhancement and evaluation of current materials will impact positively on participant experience
• Repurposing and evaluation of resources for supporting the University’s recently HEA-accredited ASPIRE (Accrediting Staff Professionalism in Research-led Education) CPD framework
• Use and repurposing of resources for the University’s standalone workshop portfolio – the ‘You Teach’ programme  OPENSTEM
• In our institution a current initiative to take account of e-learning in quality management and enhancement processes offers an opportunity to address OER production and use. The course approval processes ask questions about resources and library support; a specific question about OER use and sources would mean that new courses must consider OERs. OER considerations could also be incorporated into VLE course approval processes (design for openness, for instance), and into events, CPD workshops and training courses. If not already in place, Creative Commons Licensing could be covered in institutional guidelines on copyright and IPR for teaching materials. CPD4HE
• UB and LSE are already using each others’ resources, and this is likely to be extended to other institutions as they are made more easily accessible through local repositories and Jorum. DELILA
• Integration of IL / DL content into PGCerts –   this has exposed new academics at our institutions to IL / DL; they will in turn transfer some of this use and knowledge to their students. DELILA
• Interestingly, there was a consensus that in addition to developing materials to cover current gaps in provision, there was also a valuable place for replacement materials covering familiar areas but where many of the current resources are not properly licensed or consented. ACTOR

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What is the impact on student experience?

In this strand the students are teachers so impact on this group has been slightly different - more likelt to take this forward into their own teaching and significant contribution to generating, reviewing content.

• Students as reviewers – Student Union

“As a spin off from their work on this project, the SU will be contributing to the PGCert in Academic Practice face to face delivery and the ‘up mentoring’ of up to 30 members of participants. Their involvement adds richness, credibility and authenticity to these resources and a real student dimension to the overall programme. “ Learning to Teach Inclusively 

• The discourse of open education is also influencing students’ approach to learning. A BA Graphic Design students used the concept of open education in his final year project IPR4EE 

• We have limited evidence (resulting from email enquiries and dialogue with four individuals) that students in our target group now have increased opportunities, in that they are more aware of the individual route to accreditation and know more about where they can get materials to help them. This means that they will be able to develop their understanding and practices in HE teaching without attending a formal course. CPD4HE

• This project has illustrated the variety of entry points / selection of material that individuals can make in creating a valuable OER, and the benefit of involving students and interns in the process. (Solent, Aston, Liverpool)

"I started working on this project as part of my MSc Final Year project. Initially, the only thing I thought I would be doing was implementing project management theory. However, as I got more involved in the project, I noticed that I was learning more in-depth about things I was unfamiliar with such as Open Educational Resources, Creative Commons and copyrights.  It was an overall learning journey which I very much enjoyed"  Jessica El Chaar MSc IT Project Management Student Open for Business 

• The Newcastle student responses proved interesting to the partners and forced them to consider new issues.  For example, “The sites and information within are too general to be useful unless you have time to browse and identify specifics” which indicates repositories must be well designed/organised and have good search facilities.  A particular quote “Without wishing to turn this too philosophical, even if we can't identify the personal benefits of sharing there may societal ones: sharing resources with others may foster independence and decrease reliability on ourselves” raises an provocative question – would sharing OER make teachers less productive? ACTOR

•  I think the websites provide great tools for educators from a range of disciplines. It is amazing the amount of resources that people are happy to share with online communities from photos to learning modules! I have never come across any similar education resources before. Newcastle student ACTOR

• I don’t think the resources should be used as a direct replacement for creating your own teaching but it useful to see how other people have planned their teaching and the content they have included, especially being peer-reviewed it is almost like evidence based medicine. I would find it particularly useful to use some of the simulation cases, as being a medical student my clinical experience is limited and in the past writing simulated cases for examples or teaching resources has been difficult. Most of the resources are available for public use with some requiring accreditation to the author, is this correct? ACTOR

• If I felt confident enough I would consider submitting my own work for peer review. I think this is important for not only your own development but for the wider education discipline. (Newcastle student) ACTOR

• Would I contribute some of my own work? I'm not sure why I would unless I thought the resource would stand alone (a complete lecture or a simulation maybe). Even then I don't know what my motivation would be. I know the arguments for OER but at the end of the day, when I have put time and effort into something for a specific target audience and worked to make it available to them, why would I spend more time (of which I don't have much) making it accessible to people for whom it is not tailored and may therefore not be suitable and who may experience the problems I did in accessing resources. (Newcastle student) ACTOR

• Interesting. If you publish in journal you are peer-reviewed prior to publication (to ensure acceptance) and receive further peer review following publication. But if you publish via OER all review is afterwards. This says a lot about the current state of OER - unvalidated and unreliable... [Student 6] ACTOR

• As five of the students were College members of academic staff or supporters of student learning,  dissemination of the material has already begun through this year to influence the College community. A workshop on “Developing our Learning Community” was held for all College staff  by students who had used the resource and was attended by all members of Rose Bruford Senior Management. RLT for PA

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 What is the impact on staff of release and use?

 

Impact of the process

increased awareness and understanding mentioned by several projects

• We know that the process of filming the sessions and reviewing and discussing the DVD after the sessions has made an impact on the practice and thinking of those involved. This is evident in the discussions (some of these discussions are captured on video and have been included in the resources and in the module). Whilst this is not an impact of the product, it is an impact of the process. Learning to Teach Inclusively
• What has developed, however, is the way that the IPR4EE course structure also moves from an understanding of course design for online learning to a broader understanding of course design for open access. The first unit explore issues of IPR within an understanding of localised online learning, i.e. to a known audience of learners, whereas Unit 3 explores the application of IPR to creating and sharing open education resources IPR4EE
• The impact on our stakeholders has been greater awareness and understanding of OER rather than changed attitudes. By far the most visible impact is on the teachers involved in the project, who went through the process of developing their resources. The collaboration between academics and support staff from three different areas has been rewarding and may have a lasting impact. CPD4HE
• DELILA has heightened librarians’ and educational developers’ awareness of OER issues, through the use of their materials in this project, and external and internal workshops. Colleagues have begun to add Creative Commons licences to their materials, where appropriate, and improved internal document metadata; and have increased understanding of the idea of fair re-use through discussions on adapted CORRE. DELILA
• For an academic with twenty years of research conditioning in the formal journal publication field, developing an OER has been both exciting and also very challenging. Ordinarily research outputs linked to journal articles are ‘policed’ via an increasingly extensive peer review process. OERs are different and very clearly in their embryonic stages of development and acceptance in HE. The role they play in professional development is currently under-appreciated. As a community, we need to make more of being involved in the development and use of these resources as I have no doubt that they do, and will continue to play an important role in the future advancement of knowledge. I have gained significantly from working in this area and would strongly encourage others to participate too! (Liverpool) Open for Business

 

Digital Litreacies - oer literacy

• Building OER digital literacy capacity ...”it not only benefits staff directly, but also has a potential impact on students”

“Good practice in OER development and use, is good learning and teaching practice. This potentially provides a starting point for engaging academic staff with the OER agenda.”EDOR

• Despite the pressures the work has been very constructively received by the HEI teams. “This has been a very positive experience for all members of the project team who have been involved in previous HEA funded developments for new lecturers. We have all learnt new skills and have a far better understanding of this area.” (Solent).

“The whole project has been an enlightening learning experience for me, where new words, technology and processes appeared at every stage of the project – OER, Creative Commons, IPR, Jorum, TED, AGILE project management method and SCRUM meetings, Web2Rights, OU SCORE, O4B, meta tag, Equella etc. I am now going to brush up on my new found knowledge so that I can inform others!” Mrs Julie Green, Quality Manager, Aston Business School, July 2011 Open for Business

• Key skills and capabilities in relation to current best practice in teaching English and Creative Writing ASSAP
  
• Team members have built up expertise in identifying suitable resources to be released as OER's and the conversion process. DELILA

 

Access to OERs

• Opportunities for a range of individual practitioners to freely access subject-specific IPD and CPD resources as and when required ASSAP
• Wider access to quality resources already developed ASSAP

 

Changes in practice

• Possibilities for the infusion of pedagogical practices between disciplines ASSAP
• A raised profile for pedagogy in the subject in general ASSAP
• a greater engagement with online and distance education had engaged academics and course developers in considerations of IPR for course design and exposed some of the tensions and confusions around IP issues. IPR4EE
• We have found enthusiasm for OER amongst teachers and we have learned how they can benefit from developing their own materials for open release. We have attracted attention nationally and made a local impact; “OER” has a presence now on the institutions’s web site, our new teaching and learning portal features OER and an interview with the project director; there are new initiatives in which students and teachers co-publish OERs. CPD4HE
• Library staff now have experience of cataloguing learning objects. DELILA
• The "public" nature of the resources will facilitate and encourage collaboration and sharing. DELILA

 

Multi-disciplinary collaboration - cross team working

• The interdisciplinary nature of the project team will further strengthen collaboration between educational developers, librarians and technical specialists. DELILA 
• “Being part of this project has been a fascinating experience. Firstly the project has made me consider carefully how to communicate to others how and why I deliver my session on peer observation. Secondly I have been on a steep upward learning curve regarding the design and preparation of OERs. The preparation of the OERs has been very ably supported by the technology enhanced learning team, including our fantastic Masters student who has acted as such professional project manager. To have been part of such an interdisciplinary team, with the drawing together of our diverse areas of expertise, has been inspiring and a real pleasure.” Dr Anne Wheeler, NTF Director, Centre for Learning Innovation and Professional Practice Open for Business 
• working creatively on a product that has developed the use of online learning within the institution has focussed  the team in a great collaborative enterprise.  RLT for PA

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 How widespread are the OERs being used across participating institutions and across the sector?

Most projects can only offer very early evidence of this due to the timescale of the project - some of this refers to potential rather than actual use on a broad scale. Several projects have noted that the suppoirt aroind OERs is as improtant as the OERs themselves - inlcuding community building. Interestingly some of the evidence suggests that people are using some of these resources with little adaption, even though many are generic.

• …I’ve had a number of colleagues commenting on your contribution and clearly you’ve caused them to feel inspired with the approaches to inclusive teaching… I think you have chosen an angle on promoting inclusive teaching within the disciplines which is very attractive to us. There may be potential for using your resource in our probationary lecturers’ programme, if on closer evaluation this appears to be possible. It would certainly seem to offer an opportunity for developing teachers, to review the teaching of peers, at their own pace and at a time of their choosing. I am sure that will be most attractive’.  (Gwen van der Velden, Director of Learning and Teaching Enhancement, University of Bath). Learning to Teach Inclusively
• Have had a quick tour of your Unit 2 – much food for thought – many thanks.  …looks great, better yet as a sometimes lecturer I found your ‘invitations’ challenging and thought provoking in a positive reflective (non-confrontative way) i.e.  from my point of view….. brilliant!’ (Dr Sophia Matiasz, Principal Policy Officer, Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology, Adelaide, South Australia) Learning to Teach Inclusively
• I've had a look at the information on the OERs and work you’re doing… All looks fantastic and perfect for our needs. We would really benefit from your experience at CSU. (Liz Smith, Director, Transitions, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW Australia) Learning to Teach Inclusively
• …Your principles on inclusive practice fed into the Action Research conference, with Jean McNiff, and were re-enforced by the  PVC Learning and Teaching.  I think as an institution we have moved forward this week’ (Dr Sally Bradley Director of L&T, Sheffield Hallam University). Learning to Teach Inclusively
• Finally, we were informed by colleagues attending a SCORE Short Term Fellowship Residential Course at the Open University (Finding and Evaluating OERS) that the Learning to Teach Inclusively module is currently being shown to participants as a model of ‘best practice’ Learning to Teach Inclusively
• We know that the video clips make a big impact on those who attend seminars and workshops based on their feedback and on the level of discussion they trigger. Qualitative evidence from ‘early adopter’ testing and review of just a few of the clips suggest they have a powerful immediate and knock on impact on lecturers and staff developers as this e mail suggests:
• I heard Prof Mike Healey give the key note speech at the Roehampton Learning and Teaching conference earlier this year. I wrote and asked him about part of his presentation and he suggested that I get in contact with you…After the conference I fed back to my Creative Writing colleagues about some of the case studies he presented. At one stage he showed a 'sharing knowledge and experience' clip where you asked students to describe their journey to university. We found this particularly inspiring and would like to adapt the activity for our induction for new first yrs. It's of particular relevance in a Writing Journalism class. (Dr Louise Tondeur, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, Roehampton University). Learning to Teach Inclusively
• Email arriving within 24 hours of the resource posted to Jorum.

“I am just writing a quick note to thank you for sharing your icebreaker scenario on Jorum (http://dspace.jorum.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/15637)

• I have been looking for some inspiration for Library tutorials and was able to quickly convert your document into something that my team and I can use with students at all levels. I attach a copy for your interest, though it is incomplete as I haven‟t had time to research accompanying resources as yet.” EDOR
• we hope that the availability of a large number of new, high quality learning resources on HumBox and JorumOpen will increase the traffic to those OERs from the humanities community and increase familiarity with OERs in general. ASSAP
• Our small team mirrored the sort of human resource typically available in a UK university department, and the demands in terms of skillset required by the Project highlighted why humanities departments have not taken to developing e-learning and OER materials in a big way. Even the most technologically proficient member of the team was stretched by the number of skills he was required to deploy in the course of the project.  It seems likely that, especially where multimedia is involved, the output of OERs would be increased in organisational contexts where there are sufficient experts to permit specialisation in the range of tasks necessary to develop and deliver OERs, or where skilled external support is available.  The humanities do now seem conceptually ready to exploit OERs as their profile has increased, but this momentum may be lost through lack of technical support. ASSAP
• given the universal response in Phase 1 project for the need for awareness-raising of IP, it was felt that a wider and more sustainable forum would be required. In discussion with JiscLegal, it was felt that the forum would be best located within the existing Jiscmail discussion. The Jisc-Legal_OER@jiscmail.ac.uk discussion form to provide a platform for IPR4EE, but also is a resource for all UK institutions and individuals working in HE may share perspectives on IP for OER. IPR4EE
• We have realised that the OER movement is about communities and open exchange as well as about online resources. Our dissemination workshop led academic developers through the process of creating and releasing OERs – hopefully the start of a sustainable community. The UKOER community helped us, too; earlier projects documented the process of turning teaching materials into open resources and we used what they had learned. CPD4HE
• Release and use of open resources is widespread in the institution but use of the term, OER, is not. This may be partly because our repository is for research outputs, not teaching materials. CPD4HE
• There is significant potential for the development and use of OERs as part of a sustainable and collaborative approach to the development and delivery of CPD resources which should be explored further. Groups such as SHED (Scottish Higher Education Developers) could take a lead on this. Open for Business

• Implications of OER on the clinical education sector are significant. Now that the funding is over the community are keen to keep their network of contacts within the sector.  The single practitioner may feel isolated in the use, or creation, of OER so the formation of communities of practice (Wenger, 2002) benefits the individual academic.  This creates a network/community centred on their professional activities that they can contribute to.  “…there seems to be a genuine need for an approach as described here in the context of OER: on their own they appear to be insufficient to provide most people with meaningful learning experiences” ACTOR

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Do the OERs support/enhance/promote the subject to staff and students?

This excerpt indicates that OERs need supporting activities to ensure use - marketing and community building and tirs in with comments above about communities being important to ongoing use and development

• Given that the English Subject Centre will not now be able to promote The Pool within its user community, we are concerned that the HEA and JISC do so.  Otherwise there is a danger that the effort that has gone into producing what the Evaluator describes as “a rich set of materials which are extremely generative of discussion and of ideas for educationally sound and creative practices in university English teaching” will be wasted. ASSAP