Open Education

A brief introduction

By: Dr. Andreas Meiszner & Ruediger Glott, United Nations University UNU-MERIT – The Netherlands. Elmar Husmann, ELIG – European Learning Industry Group

Workshop on “The Why and How of Open Education: Service Concepts and Provider Perspectives” 15th MindTrek Conference and the International Academic Conference | 30 of September, Tampere – Finnland

Impressions from our first OE workshop @OKCon 2011

OE perhaps draws on traditional formal and class based (Higher) Education

Though traditional HE is frequently NOT Open Education

It adds openness to the different elements of traditional formal (Higher) Education:

 ‘Open Content’

 ‘Open Degrees’

 ‘Open Assessment’

 ‘Open Learning’

 ‘Open Tutoring’

 ‘Open Technology’

 ‘Open Communities’

 …

So why not skipping the ‘Open’ instead of repeating it over and over again?

Because it appears to be more than a

filler and to mirror an attitude,

behaviour, concept or desirable state.

…

<<< Though be aware of the risk of

fetishization of the word ‘Open’, and of

diluting its meaning to something like

‘Open Everything’. >>>

•  How we define Open Education depends on how we define Education.

•  In many societies Education equals to obtaining Formal Degrees or Certifications.

•  If Formal Degrees or Certifications are indeed the relevant criterion that defines Education, then Open Education pretty much the same then Closed traditional formal education as we know it – except that it is not “Closed”, but “Open”.

•  Luckily there are more shades then “black” and “white”, and the same likely holds valid for Education.

OE in a nutshell – a quick description

Open Education is characterized by “the free and open access to, the usage

of and the right to modify and re-use digital educational resources and digital

educational tools, and the free and open access to the related (virtual)

educational communities, in order to learn, teach, exchange or advance

knowledge in a collaborative and interactive way”.

In contrast to traditional education, beneficiaries of Open Education might

include the following: institutional students and educators across institutions;

free learners outside of formal education; practitioners and enterprises as

producers, consumers or collaborators; and established virtual communities

of practice.

OE beyond the openness aspect

Further OE key characteristics include:

 Extense use of new communication technologies

 Strong digital component

 Networked

 Participatory & Collaborative

 Transparent & Inclusive

From OE to Open Education Services – an institution/learner perspective

‘Open Education as a Service’ (OEaaS) is an ‘on-demand’ concept at which

services are provided around freely available educational offers, such as

courses and programmes with basic support provision. Available services

might include customizable support options, formal assessment and

certification possibilities, or the access to physical infrastructures. OEaaS is

therefore close to a ‘Freemium business model’ at which basic products or

services are available free of charge, while charging a premium for advanced

features, functionality, or related products and services.

From OE to Open Education Services – an industry/institution perspective

From an industry/institution perspective ‘Open Education as a

Service’ (OEaaS) provides business opportunities for the learning industry,

such as:

•  Training, course & programme development,

•  Hosting & maintenance

•  Online assessment and certification systems

•  Online spaces to provide tutoring

•  Billing systems

•  Physical ID verification & assessment control

•  …

Thank you for your attention!

Elmar Husmann ELIG – European Learning Industry Group

… Dr. Andreas Meiszner,

United Nations University UNU-MERIT

meiszner@merit.unu.edu