From Open Educational Resources to Open Educational Practices (www.oer-quality.org)

A new field which we are now developing is the field of open edcuatonal resources and open educational practices. We think that there are probably profound changes going along with the freeing of resources.

Today I would like to make a radical move: I think the OER movement has learnt alot form the Open Access and the Open Source Movenemt - beeing a step child of both. But now, I would advocate, it is time to get on with it and move from infancy into adult status. To step out of its child shoes and life a life of its own.

I think that there was a lot to lear from Open Source and OA in terms of open policies and supporting frameworks. Now, I think, that OER needs to face it: it is - again! - about education. The 'opening' of the resource owner is in HE equaling a professor who is reading a lecture from another professor's book. This is problemtaic because it makes a charicature of the lecture process - could not anybody read another ones book... ?? We do not need professors then. Something else is on stake with open educational practices - obviously!

In the light of open educational resources, educational professional need to be those who deliver educational scenarioes which are challenging and stimulating. It is not about reading out a lecture. It is about working on material together, collaboration and critiquing, reflecting and  producing, amending and sharing materials. Maybe researching and finding open questions.

This is the real shift and move which we are facing and which we in the OPAL project describe as open educational practices. Educational professionals are then no longer content bearers but have to be educational artists.

Does it make sense? (more: www.oer-quality.org)