Different Aspects of theEmerging OER Discipline

Martin Weller

Background

OER HubBased in IET at the OUResearching different aspects of OERHewlett – OER Research Hub 2012-2015GO-GN – OER PhD research network (go-gn.net)OEPS – Open Educational Practice Scotland

Interesting questions

What does OER research look like now?How has it changed?Is there anything generic we can take from how this field developed?

OER history

Late 90s – learning objects80s-90s – Open source licences2001 – Creative Commons2001 – MIT OpenCourseWaremid-2000s – OER repositories, projects, funding2012 – UNESCO OER declaration2011 onwards – open textbook movement in N. America2012 – Year of the MOOC(!)

OER as part of…

Open educationOpen dataOpen researchOpen scholarshipOpen educational practiceOpen pedagogy

Method

OER Knowledge Cloud (https://oerknowledgecloud.org/)Content analysis of abstracts2015 (most recent full year - 119)2007 (1st year with double digits – 24)

Content analysis

Berg (2007):Qualitative vs quantitative – bothLatent vs manifest content – ManifestUnits of analysis – abstractCategory development – deductive

Totals

Year No publications Year No Publications

2001 3 2008 58

2002 1 2009 67

2003 0 2010 153

2004 3 2011 121

2005 7 2012 167

2006 9 2013 205

2007 26 2014 183

2007

Category No Publications

Project case study 6

Technical 6

OER as subject 11

Research with impact data 3

2015Category No Publications

Project case study 8

Technical 7

OER as subject 18

Research with impact data 7

Policy 15

Practitioner 11

OER in developing nations 2

MOOCs 36

Pedagogy 9

Open data/practice 6

Categories (1)

Project case study –reports on the findings of a particular case study, or announces the implementation of a project.Technical focus on the technical specification of a particular project such as an OER repositoryOER as subject - focused on the OER field itself, the nature of openness, the direction for OER, suggestions for adoption, etcResearch with impact data –undertakes evaluation of the impact of OER implementation, using educational research methodology such as control groups, pre and post test, etc.Policy - report on existing OER policies, the need for policy or standardized approaches, national frameworks, etc.

Categories (1)

Practitioner – the use of OER by practitioners in a particular context, for example teachers or librarians.OER in developing nations – the use of OER in the context of developing nations eg projects such as TESSAMOOCs –This group could be categorized as an emerging field of its own, or MOOCs could be interpreted as OER and reclassified under the other categories. Pedagogy – several articles focus specifically on the possible impact of OER on pedagogy, or as a vehicle for change in teaching practice. Open data/practice/access- an intersection with other aspects of open practice that have varying degrees of relevance to the OER community..

Similar work

Zancanaro, Todesco & Ramos (2015) bibliometric analysis: - Theoretical discussions - the conceptualization of the term Open - Quality –issues related the quality of OER, how this can be ensured, or

measured - Barriers to use – addresses problems in the adoption of OER such as formal

recognition- Open education – provides an overview of open education in general - Incentive policies – policies for OER adoption - Survey - detailing results of research carried out on the use of OER - Technology – detailing technical aspects of OER such as metadata and

interoperability - Type – particularly the area of open textbooks- Sustainability –the sustainability of OER projects - Production – different models of OER production, sharing and dissemination- Open licenses – copyright issues and Creative Commons licenses

Caveats (the questionable methodology slide)

OER Knowledge Cloud is not exhaustive and can be swayedThe content analysis requires each unit to be placed in an exclusive category, but inevitably some will be related to two or three categories. Labeling the categories was largely a subjective process.

What does OER research look like now?

Practitioner is a large groupMOOC contaminationImpact research is quite rare

How has it changed?

Four categories from 2007 still relevantReflective practiceMove away from project case studiesPolicy reflects maturing of fieldDiverging into other areas?

Is there anything generic we can take from how this field developed?

Arises from impact of networked technologyChanges are attitudinal and technicalA variation in an existing domain that emerges as distinctCharacterized by specialist conferences, journals, large-scale projects, investment, policy and a sustainable community Initially driven by enthusiasts and advocates Diversification of research themes and interested parties

A dodgy analogy

Urban Renaissance in 18th CenturyCharacterized by uniform house design, street planning, a growing middle-class population and increased leisure facilitiesRequires number of conditions including economic prosperity, the desire for social status, and the pre-existence of towns to build upon Analogous to the development of new educational areas?Common features: the arrival of new commercial interests, the establishment of new conferences and journals, the development of a new research agenda and identifiable communities.

Refs & Links

Edtechie.net Oerhub.net@mweller @oer_hub

Berg, B. (2007) Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and BaconBorsay, P. (1989) The English Urban Renaissance: Culture and Society in the Provincial Town 1660-1770. Oxford University PressZancanaro, A., Todesco, J., & Ramos, F. (2015). ‘A bibliometric mapping of open educational resources’. The International Review Of Research In Open And Distributed Learning, 16(1).