The Open Research Agenda [1080] Members : #OER16

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Public Group Active 8 years, 8 months ago

Wed, Apr 20 2016, 10:30am – 11:30am

Authors: Rob Farrow, Martin Weller, Rebecca Pitt, and Beatriz de los Arcos

Room: Holyrood

Theme: Strategic and reputational advantages of openness

Type: Workshop or panel

Description

This workshop aims to ‘flip’ the workshop. Traditional conference formats tend to be unilateral, and much of the best discussion happens informally among small groups (whether on Twitter or personal conversation). Similarly, Storify is often used to capture conference activity after the event, but by this point possibilities for interaction are limited. Just as the ‘flipped’ classroom maximizes the value of personal contact time by preparing participants for making best use of contact time, ‘The Open Research Agenda’ will use online interaction to make the most of conference time. Key areas of discussion will include localised strategies, ways to collaborate and network, and identifying clear goals.

As OER move into mainstream adoption, so the focus shifts to solving very specific problems. The original OER Research Hub had 11 hypotheses, which were generated in collaboration with the Hewlett Foundation (OER Hub, 2014). The aim here is to develop hypotheses that are open for all to investigate, generated by the community itself. As well as using Twitter, blog posts and hashtags we will ask people to submit a single research question via an online form. Outcomes from the consultation will be regularly discussed through online hangouts and through interviews with key figures in the OER movement.

This session will effectively begin several months before the conference, and continue beyond. The consultation will begin with a series of engagements designed to identify and discuss the main research aims for the practical needs of the OER community, commencing in February (New Orleans, USA) at the 2016 meeting of grantees in the Hewlett Foundation OER programme; it will be linked to the ICDE OER impact mandate; several strategic OER meetings in Europe, and will also be continued through the OE Global 2016 (Krakow, Poland). The online network of OER Hub comprises more than 5,500 OER stakeholders from all parts of the world.

At OER16, the conference session will be split equally between presentation and discussion. Highlights from the consultation process and will be outlined, as well as a snapshot of the latest research in the field. Through moderated discussion delegates will be encouraged to engage with the issues raised in person or online. An anticipated outcome from the session will be a set of research questions, with an indication of why they are important, and how they might be investigated. Through this activity participants will be encouraged to use open technologies to capture debate; to connect and network with relevant stakeholders; and to contribute to the ongoing open research agenda for researchers, policymakers, funders and learners.

Farrow, R., Pitt, R., de los Arcos, B., Perryman, L.-A., Weller, M. and McAndrew, P. (2015). Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: Data from OER Research Hub (2013–2014). British Journal of Educational Technology, 46 (5): 972–976. doi: 10.1111/bjet.12310

OER Hub. (2014). OER Evidence Report 2013-2014. OER Research Hub. http://oerhub.net/reports/

OER Hub. (2015). OER Data Report 2013-2015. OER Research Hub. http://oerhub.net/reports/

Hilton, J. (2014). A Review of Research on the Perceptions, Influence and Cost Savings of OER: Looking Back and Looking Forward. Open Education 2014. Arlington, VA.

Weller, M., de los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Pitt, B., & McAndrew, P. (2015). The Impact of OER on Teaching and Learning Practice. Open Praxis, 7(4), 351-361. doi:10.5944/openpraxis.7.4.227

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