In 2020, I conducted an OER literature review to bridge the gap of scant pedagogic resources during the health crisis, aiding policy makers as part of my research consultant works for UNESCO Education Sector’s Learning Assessments section. Check out their works here.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS:
During the COVID-19 crisis, schools closed to protect learners and teachers. My OER literature review aids policy makers in addressing pedagogic gaps during the pandemic. Recommendations include fostering alliances and bridging the digital divide for inclusive education. Encouraging OER development and research is vital for future learning strategies. Low-cost benefits and quality assurance must be balanced with challenges like localization costs and skills access. Overall, OER can revolutionize education if implemented strategically.
This bibliography, aligned with the 2012 Paris Declaration, emphasizes 14 selected studies, informing policymakers on OER. It aims to stimulate critical thinking about leveraging OER to tackle challenges in achieving SDG 4 (or Sustainable Development Goal 4. The full title of the UN’s SDG 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”) in diverse local contexts.
The list serves two purposes: 1) Future researchers can utilize it to produce knowledge products, and 2) Educators and policymakers gain insights into addressing pandemic-induced schooling disruptions. The literature focuses on digital educational resources from 2010 to 2020.
The overall findings of the studies on student learning time are as follows: According to two surveys conducted by the Commonwealth of Learning in 2017, there was increased support for OER policies between 2012 and 2017 (55% compared to 45% in 2012). However, just over half (59%) of the respondents indicated that their country was contemplating policy development for OER (COL, 2017).
Countries both in the global north and south have already used OER platforms and repositories, but respondents were confused about the types of digital educational resources. The lack of OER awareness highlights the absence of a consensus on the OER definition. Decision-makers should distinguish the differences to select appropriate options for specific contexts and education levels (pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary, and technical and vocational education and training [TVET]).
OER is extensively used in regions like High-Income countries (HICs) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LACs), mainly driven by existing OER movements and bottom-up initiatives rather than national policies (COL, 2017).
In contrast, there was no OER movement in Africa, necessitating OER policies to address funding support and online accessibility challenges. Africa faces difficulties in translation, localisation, and OER implementation.
The trend observed up to 2017, during the pre-COVID period, does not reflect the current situation, as the implementation of OER and Information and communication technologies (ICT) in education has expanded to other LICs due to the need to replace traditional classrooms during school disruptions.
OER is mostly practiced in higher education or secondary and K-12 education but is neglected in TVET (ibid.).
Three practices across a continuum of openness include content-centric to process-centric, teacher-centric to learner-centric, and pedagogical to social justice purposes (Bali 2017 cited in Bali, Cronin & Jhangiani, 2020).
Some research examines OER and OEP (Open Educational Practices) through Nancy Fraser’s model of social justice (ibid. ; Tang & Bao, 2020). Other studies focus on specific process-centric OEP forms, such as collaborative annotation, Wikipedia editing, open networked courses, Virtually Connecting, public scholarship, and learner-created OER (Bali, Cronin & Jhangiani, 2020). Orr et al. (2020) explored how digitalisation and new ways of technology usage shape OER in higher education in 2030.
The benefits of OER include significantly reduced costs in textbook production (COL, 2017).
The challenges include potential high costs in localizing OER in LICs and issues with quality assurance due to versioning and collaborative design (Almendro & Silveira, 2018).
Other challenges involve the lack of skills among educational stakeholders to access, use, and share OER (COL, 2017). The digital divide impacts access to OER in remote areas in various regions, including Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific region (ibid.).
The overall recommendations are to encourage the development and adaptation of OER in diverse languages and cultural contexts. Funding and policies should align with emerging business models to promote OER efforts, especially in TVET (Ehlers, Schuwer & Janssen, 2018). UNESCO and other organizations can support the development of OER policies from bottom-up and top-down approaches to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Using the TIPS rubric model can ensure high-standard quality in OER. Supporting capacity building and fostering strategic alliances for OER are essential (COL, 2017).
Facilitating national, regional, and international networks can help share experiences and explore sustainable open education models. Encouraging research on OER implementation and recognition for open learners is crucial (ibid.).
Finally, access to ICT infrastructure is a prerequisite for OER engagement (Miao, Mishra & McGreal, 2016).
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