This presentation was co-authored with fellow OER Research Hub researchers Bea de los Arcos and Rob Farrow. It was presented at CALRG14 at IET, The Open University (UK) on 10 June 2014. An updated and revised version of these slides will be presented at OpenEd14 in Washington DC in November 2014.

1. From theory to practice: can
openness improve the
quality of OER research?
CALRG 2014
Beck Pitt
Bea de los Arcos
Rob Farrow
The Open University

2. Overview
• What is the OER Research Hub?
• Why Open Research? Practicing Openness
• Researching in the Open
• Sharing Evidence in the Open: Impact Map
• Open Research Course
http://oerresearchhub.org
#oerrhub @OER_Hub

3. What is the OER Research Hub?

4. OER Research Hub
• 2-year research project funded by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Aiming to build the most comprehensive picture of OER impact
• Collaboration model across different educational sectors
• Global reach but with a USA focus
• Fellowship Scheme
• Researching openness in the open
oerresearchhub.org
#oerrhub @OER_Hub

5. Researching Open Educational Resources…
Often feels like…
Image credit:
https://twitter.com/JasonElsom/statu
s/474448086702776320/photo/1
But occasionally feels like…
Photo credit: Tim Seal CC-BY

6. Our Hypotheses
Keyword Hypothesis
Performance OER improve student performance/satisfaction
Openness People use OER differently from other online materials
Access OER widen participation in education
Retention OER can help at-risk learners to finish their studies
Reflection OER use leads educators to reflect on their practice
Finance OER adoption brings financial benefits for students/institutions
Indicators Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting OER
Support Informal learners develop their own forms of study support
Transition OER support informal learners in moving to formal study
Policy OER use encourages institutions to change their policies
Assessment Informal assessments motivate learners using OER

7. Collaboration Model
Collaboration Model

9. Collaboration Model
Collaboration Model

10. Why Open Research?
Practicing Openness

11. How we can make research better
Open Research Practice:
• All outputs from the project are CC-BY licensed: research instruments and methodology
• Share our data and evidence: Impact Map and Survey Explorer
• Blog progress of research and collaborations
• Blog research findings
• Use Twitter to connect, network and disseminate
• Continuous evaluation and reflection on our practice
Photo Credit: Mozfest13 Beck Pitt CC-BY
Photo credit: still of “sprint” scene in Silicon Valley
Make use of agile research techniques:
• Sprints enable us to focus on and progress outstanding tasks
as a group
• Blog about our experiences of “sprinting”
• Patrick’s CALRG 2013 presentation

12. Researching in the Open

13. Researching in the Open: Researcher Pack
Research Instruments available in the open:
• Ethics manual
• Interview and Focus Group Questions
• Survey Questions
• Open Consent Forms

14. Researching in the Open: Sharing Practices and
our Survey Questions
“Building Communities” Photo credit: Beck Pitt CC-BY
Screenshots of OER Research Hub and ROER4D websites
Sharing research methodologies and
practices
Creating synergies and building
relationships

15. Sharing Evidence in the Open
What we’re not about…
Picture credit: Bill Nihilist
http://society6.com/BillNihilist/Loose-Lips-
CNl#1=45
Instead…
Blogs and Infographics
Slideshare
and
YouTube
Open Access
Journals
Twitter

16. Sharing Evidence in the Open:
Impact Map

17. OER Impact Map
http://chaos.open.ac.uk

18. Picture credits: Bea de los Arcos CC-BY
OER Impact Map
http://chaos.open.ac.uk

19. Open Research Course

20. School of Open course
P2PU/Creative Commons initiative
Facilitated and non-facilitated courses on different aspects of
“openness” and open practices
Courses include Copyright for Educators (both AUS and US),
Get CC Savvy, Open Habits: making stuff with the daily create,
Intro to Openness in Education
OER Research Hub:
Four week facilitated course on open research
Ties into researcher pack
Co-authored by OER Research Hub team over 4-5 months.

21. School of Open course
Open and Collaborative:
Initial brainstorming at February Awayday. Met every
couple of weeks to review drafts and give group
feedback.
Asked community for what they would like to see in
an open research course (Twitter, Fellows)
Creation of assets for course: interviews on open
research practices and reflection
Megan and Catherine’s blog posts (reflection)
Course underwent an OU style review.
Mapped activities and outcomes on final draft.
Overall course review and check for consistency, use
of external materials etc.
Early drafts of
the Open
Research
Course.
(Picture credit:
OER Research
Hub, CC-BY)

22. School of Open course
Open review process: community reviewed
Non-facilitated version of the course to be made available
Course openly available for others to use and develop
Course composition:
What is open research?
Ethics
Dissemination
Reflection
Almost there! Mapping the activities and outcomes against the course
structure. (Picture credit: OER Research Hub, CC-BY)
Course start date:
15 September 2014

23. Thanks for listening!
http://oerresearchhub.org
http://oermap.org
Twitter: @BeckPitt, @celTatis,
@philosopher1978

24. References/Bibliography

25. References/Bibliography
McAndrew, P. Becoming more agile researchers: experiences from researching OER (June 2013,
http://www.slideshare.net/openpad/agile-research-for-open-education-reso) (Accessed 6 June
2014, 12.25)
Perryman, L-A. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known: nine surveys for OER
Research (June 2013, http://oerresearchhub.org/2013/06/19/somewhere-something-incredible-is-waiting-
to-be-known-nine-surveys-for-oer-research/) (Accessed 6 June 2014, 12.23)
Trotter, H. ROER4D Question Harmonisation Process
(May 2014, http://roer4d.org/892) (Accessed 6 June 2014, 12.26)
“OER-archery” at CNX2013
Photo credit: Beck Pitt, CC-BY

26. in service of The Open University