Open Education
The Educational Development Centre (EDC) helps to build up Otago Polytechnic's skills and awareness of open educational resources and practices, while at the same time testing and developing new models based around open education.
In 2008 Otago Polytechnic signed The Cape Town Open Education Declaration, as well as reviewed its policies on copyright and intellectual property so as to encourage staff to engage in open educational practices.
What is open education?
We tend to think about open education in terms of resources and practices.
Open educational resources are educational media and documents that use open standard formats and carry copyrights that permit others to make copies and republish adaptations.
Open educational practices are our practical efforts to use and produce more open educational resources, but more importantly it is our work in improving people's access to learning, assessment services and educational advancement.
Examples
Resources
Many staff use external web services to source and develop open educational resources and practices.
- The anatomy and physiology of animals text book on Wikibooks
- Chainsaw maintenance videos on Blip.tv
- Handtool maintenance videos on Youtube
- Prune and train fruit trees on Blip.tv
- Cooking videos on Youtube
- More cooking videos on Youtube
- Otago Polytechnic on Youtube
- Otago Polytechnic on Archive
- Otago Polytechnic on Slideshare
By using external web services such as these, the work of Otago Polytechnic is accessed and used far and wide; our staff and students develop a wider array of Internet related skills; and connections to new content, new students and new professional partnerships become much more likely.
Practices
EDC has been working with staff in developing the skills to use and produce open educational resources, as well as developing models for more open access courses. Examples of such courses include:
- Flexible learning
- Facilitating online
- Composing educational resources
- Evaluation of eLearning for Best Practice
- Social media
- Permaculture design
- Travel and Tourism
- Nursing HIV/AIDS
- Many more
Measuring our open education
A project is underway to measure the usage and value of our open education work. This project is being supported by Ako Aoteoroa's Regional Hub grant. A report of the pilot study will be published in August.
What you can do
Otago Polytechnic encourages staff and students who are sourcing and publishing educational media and documents, to use the Creative Commons Attribution license, and to work towards using open standard formats.
EDC advises and supports staff in developing these skills, while also working with staff in exploring opportunities and developing models of practice that improve people's access to educational opportunities.
Make contact with EDC if you would like to explore the possibilities.