Photo by Hennie Stander on Unsplash
WHAT?
Open Education Practices (OEPs) have provided new opportunities to researchers, teachers and learners, through the increase of access. Stanford University Professor and a co-founder of Coursera, Daphne Koller stated that “…there are new opportunities that online learning opens up that would never have been possible without [digital] technology” (Brainy Quote).True. Digital technology has transformed education and learning experiences for researchers, educators and learners. Open Educational Resources (OERs), Open Digital Textbooks (ODTs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), as discussed in both Reflection on the Impact of the Open Education Movement, by Grainne Conole and Mark Brown, and EDCI – 569 course discussions, enable many possibilities including, but not limited to, economies of scale, increased access to knowledge and information, flexibility in learning, cheaper access to information than traditional printed textbooks, updated curriculum, further development of technology skills, opportunities to improve teaching practices, differentiated learning strategies, collaboration on a wider scale, sharing, increased scholarship for both individuals and institutions, and increasing research opportunities. In spite of the positive characteristics, and opportunities associated with OERs, ODTs and MOOCs, they are not without their challenges.
I am a firm believer and supporter that everyone has the right to an education and should have free access to knowledge, at all levels of education, including K-12 and post-secondary. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 26, section 1, states that “Everyone has the right to education….Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” This declaration outlines not only the right to education, but its accessibility. Many post-secondary schools, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Courseware for example, and public schools offer a range of courses available online or in distributed format. Furthermore, there is also the development of online repositories housing e-textbooks, thus reducing the need to purchase costly textbooks. Thus, one would think, with all the technology available today, and the opportunities it has provided in the world of education, accessing knowledge and information would be relatively easy and equitable. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
SO WHAT?
On a local or personal level, I currently work in a district that hosts an online school which provides education options for thousands of cross-enrolled students throughout BC, in addition to students in our own district (this is not to be confused with true open education). While I support the openness and flexibility that this online school and others provide, I do question the concepts of accessibility and equity, in general for all realms of education that classify themselves as truly, open. For example, students that live in very remote regions or live in families that may not be able to support or afford internet access at home, or even own a computer, gaining open educational resources, open access and e-textbooks are very difficult, if not impossible, to access. Consequently, there will be the reliance upon the traditional school setting and textbooks, and in some cases, remote learning may involve physically mailing in school work and waiting for replies, as internet connection is poor to non-existent. Further situations where access to online information for educational purposes is limited, if not impossible to access, are in countries where governments have strict control over online content, or countries meeting the classification as developing countries. Again, although I see the benefits of open educational resources, access, sharing and learning, I recognize there is a dichotomy with this style of learning because not everyone has the same opportunity or equity of access, thus reducing the ease of accessing information and knowledge.
A second area I question, regarding OERs, is the management or curreation of resources. In order for free online courses, resources and e-textbooks to maintain their accessibility, it is necessary for someone to maintain the site(s) on which they are located. I was surprised to find out that BC is one province that hosts a repository for OERs (BC OpenEd). Again, although I support this method of access to educational information, as it supports the argument that everyone has a right to education, my quandary is, how long will the site be maintained, and is it currently aligned with new curricular changes?
NOW WHAT?
With all the new technology out there, how do we ensure that education is easily accessible? How do we make sure that everyone can get, or have access to the internet to access valuable resources? These are questions that will need to be addressed in order to ensure that open resources are indeed open.
By: Deirdre Houghton