oerstrategy.org #OER15

Open education has been gaining visibility and momentum as part of open government initiatives — from open licensing of publicly-funded educational materials, to transparency in education funding, to leveraging open technologies and practices to increase the efficiency and efficacy of instruction. One important avenue for advancing these conversations is the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multilateral initiative of more than 60 countries through which national governments make commitments to being more open, accountable and responsive to citizens. At least three countries involved in OGP have specifically adopted commitments to open education in their open government plans, the United States, Slovakia, and Spain, and numerous others are considering moving in this direction through an informal working group formed during the 2015 OGP Summit. Leading examples of OGP commitments in education include three international OER pilot programs run by the U.S. Department of State, and an initiative in the Slovak government to develop a procurement process for openly licensed educational resources. Alongside OGP, open education has also emerged in other international policy conversations, including the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This lightning talk will explore the connection between open education and open government, and opportunities for civil society members and government officials alike at the local, national and international levels.