Within education, the increasing discourse around Open Educational Resources (OER) is one of the most visible manifestations of new approaches to sharing and knowledge construction that have flourished alongside the development of web2.0. Over the past three years the UK JISC and HEA have funded a major programme of OER release, the UKOER programme.  The associated evaluation and synthesis project has highlighted the cultural issues and changing practices surrounding OER.

A strand of projects in the UKOER programme has focused on professional development – both development of HE teachers in OER practice, and release of OERs to support the professional development of HE teachers. Further projects have worked with outside organisations (such as professional bodies or the NHS) to develop OER for professional practice. Their experience has highlighted differences and unique aspects but also similarities and opportunities for sharing and learning across sectors.

The range of different models/approaches to OER present challenges as each stakeholder group has different motivations for engaging. The lack of a common vocabulary means that people are still asking fundamental questions  - is existing practice becoming more open or does it require people to change their practice?  

In this webinar, Lou McGill and Isobel Falconer, from the UKOER evaluation and synthesis team introduce emerging issues in open practices across sectors, inviting participants to explore these in their own contexts.

Further information 

• UKOER Phase 2 final report - in particular section on Phase2 Practice change - and Phase2Summary 

• Evaluation and Synthesis team blog  

• OER infokit