Open(ing up) Education and OpenupEd MOOCs: context and perspectives Fred Mulder Chair EADTU s OpenupEd Initiative UNESCO Chair in OER at OUNL (former Rector OUNL 2000 2010) Making sense of the MOOCs European Policy Seminar organized by ACA/EUA 10 October 2013, Brussels 1
EU: Opening up Education > 25/9 launched: Finally but Timely < > Relevant and Significant < > Phrasing plus Budget (2014-2020) < > Broad Scope (DGs CONNECT + EAC) < Innovative teaching and learning for all through ICT Reshaping/modernizing EU education through OER Digital competencies, infrastructures, interoperability Equity, quality, visibility, licensing, certification > Concerted effort / integrated approach < 2
OuE well-chosen umbrella Open(ing up) Education (OuE) seems a subtle change to OE but is pretty relevant > OuE underlines the dynamics and the process < (there is no fixed model for education over time) > OuE can adequately accommodate diversity < (there is no single ideal model for education) Brings in Nuance 3
What s really new in OuE? Not so much > ICT for teaching and learning < > Equity and Quality < > Infrastructures < > Digital competencies < > Digital content < But more so Open Educational Resources (OER) & MOOCs being part of O(u)E 4
Open Education What about Open? Open Learning (1971 OU-UK; other OUs) Open CourseWare (2001: MIT) Open Educational Resources (2002: UNESCO) Open Education (2008: Cape Town Declaration) Massive Open Online Courses (2011: xmoocs / 2008: cmoocs) Opening up Education (2013: EU) 5 Page 5
What about Open in OER? OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge. (Hewlett Foundation) 6
What about Open in O(u)E? OER is NOT Open Education 5COE Model... 3 supply side components Open Educational Resources (OER) Open Learning Services (OLS) Open Teaching Efforts (OTE) 2 demand side components Open to Learners Needs (OLN) Open to Employability & Capabilities development (OEC) 7
Five Components for Open Education (5COE) Model Open to Learners Needs Open Learning Services OLS OER OLN OEC Open Education Open to Employability & Capabilities development OTE Open Teaching Efforts 8 Page 8
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Example nr. 1 Institutional profile (fully converted to OER) in Open(ing up) Education 9 Page 9
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Example nr. 2 Institutional profile (more traditional, but ) in Open(ing up) Education 10 Page 10
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Example nr. 3 Institutional profile (more traditional, but ) in Open(ing up) Education in the FUTURE 11 Page 11
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Example nr. 4 Typical xmooc as positioned in Open(ing up) Education 12 Page 12
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Example nr. 5 Typical cmooc as positioned in Open(ing up) Education 13 Page 13
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC Not recommended to have all sliders extreme left or extreme right with an exception for OER 14 Page 14
Fingerprints in 5COE model 0% 100% OER OLS OTE OLN OEC 15 Page 15 Indeed 100% OER can be beneficial and proper in all cases regardless of: > institutional identity > learning philosophy > educational sector > political context and for ALL LEARNERS!
Going pan-european with OpenupEd MOOCs MOOCs: predominantly US where it all started as of 2011 and expanded massively (Coursera, Udacity, edx) some EU universities have joint US initiatives platform launches in UK, Australia, Germany, Spain, France TIME for a European initiative! nice umbrella: the EC launch Opening up Education that s why OpenupEd is our name reference to OpenupEd in EC s Opening up Education 16 Page 16
OpenupEd MOOCs Launched April 25 Joint press release EADTU & European Commission European values: Equity, Quality, and Diversity > Learner at the Centre < > High-quality Learning Materials < > Self-study Model < > Diversity in Language and in Culture < In Tradition of acclaimed Open Universities model First and so far only pan-european MOOCs initiative 17 Page 17
OpenupEd partnership (EADTU) At the launch, from the EU: France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, the UK Outside the EU, from: Russia, Turkey, Israel Planning to join, from the EADTU membership: Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France (+1), Greece, Ireland, Poland (2x), Slovenia, Spain (+1) Open to other partners: 20 requests worldwide 18 Page 18
OpenupEd courses Around 40 at the start (now 80) Wide variety in subjects and level 12 Languages Scheduled or self-paced 20 to 200 hours of study Recognition options: certificates of completion/participation, or badges, or paid for formal credit / ECTS (30 courses) 19 Page 19
OpenupEd common features Openness to learners Digital openness Learner-centred approach Independent learning Media-supported interaction Recognition options Quality focus Spectrum of diversity Not meant to be a strict order but rather to give general guidance 20 Page 20
OpenupEd: some stats Since April 25: 10.5 million hits (last 4 months stable at 1.2 million) 125.000 unique visitors (30.000 April & May; since June 15.000) 7750 newsletter registrations Most visits from Spain, Italy, Portugal, US, and another 35-40 countries with significant numbers of visits 21 Page 21
OpenupEd, a decentralized model Institutions themselves are leading OpenupEd central communication portal, a referatory to the institutional platforms Driven by service to learners & society (rather than by revenue) Positioned in the public domain (not-for-profit) (rather than the private sector) 22 Page 22
but centralized for quality Branding: commonality in our eight features Admission conditions OpenupEd quality label requirement Continuous monitoring Research and evaluation 23 Page 23
OpenupEd: six conditions to join 1 Position in national HE structure including QA & Accreditation 2 Institutional endeavour with evidence of QA for the MOOCs 3 Endorsement of the eight common features and evidence of how these are applied to the MOOCs; crucial are openness to learners & digital openness 4 OpenupEd MOOC label required at entry & periodical renewal 5 The MOOC operation must be evaluated and monitored; data and results must be shared within OpenupEd partnership 6 Payment of a moderate annual fee 24 Page 24
OpenupEd: benefits for partners Strong and distinctive quality brand Collective exposure beyond national borders Visibility and marketing potential Opportunity to join cross-national projects with external funding Opportunity to engage with the expertise and experience in the OpenupEd partnership: (i) development of MOOCs (ii) operate on a partner s platform (iii) institutional evaluation & monitoring Annual state-of-the-art meeting (part of EADTU Conference) Explore further extension of opening up education at institution 25 Page 25
OpenupEd: perspective Growing number of courses and partners Increase number of learners (almost no marketing so far) Open to partnering with traditional universities Reach out to open universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America Sharing expertise in perspective of opening up education for all Contribute to the EU modernization agenda for HE Showcase MOOCs can indeed contribute to open education Indication of growing student enrolments in regular operation and of increasing institutional prestige 26 Page 26
Finally (1) How about a common sense view? No early adopters any more, so not those benefits Exclusivity is dissolving with the expansion of #providers Massiveness is diluting with the steep increase in #courses Sky-high expectations are an illusion, wishful thinking (e.g. monopoly goal of 1 Billion students around the world) Business models are not yet indisputably sustainable Still large dynamics, also in strategies, with all players! 27 Page 27
Finally (2) How about a complicating view? > Fundamental struggle (for the OE/OER World) < > Great uncertainty and doubt (in conventional HE) < > Historical confrontation (for the OUs) < > Negatives & Positives < > MOOCs disruptive? < Anyway, MOOCs are a significant change agent Recommended: Embrace, Employ, Explore... an Expedition, not knowing its precise effects 28 Page 28
www.openuped.eu THANK YOU! fred.mulder@ou.nl 16