Is Open Education between the Cathedral and the Bazaar?: m?: the promise and pitfalls of borrowing models and metaphors for the OER community. R. John Robertson and Lorna Campbell , Phil Barker, and Li Yuan JISC CETIS Presentation at OER 11, Manchester, May 11th 2011

1. Is Open Education between the Cathedral and the Bazaar?: the promise and pitfalls of borrowing models and metaphors for the OER community R. John Robertson (1) and Lorna Campbell (1), Phil Barker (2), and Li Yuan (3) JISC CETIS Presentation at OER 11, Manchester, May 11th 2011 1 Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement, University of Strathclyde, 2 Institute for Computer Based Learning, Heriot-Watt University, 3 Institute for Cybernetic Education, University of Bolton This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence. Individual Images in this presentation may have different licences.

2. overview Some context Models and metaphors Examples

4. participating in standards bodies

5. providing community forums for sharing experience about educational technologies and interoperability standards

6. providing strategic advice to JISC and supporting JISC development programmes3

8. Other OER work in the UK and globally as well as other related technical developments4

9. The impact of models and metaphors models and metaphors shape how we think for example, the Cloud

10. The book http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596001087/ or http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/ Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cathedral-and-the-Bazaar-book-cover.jpg - Original image: Copyright all rights reserved O’Reilly Media

11. models & metaphors in the OER world What examples are there of models and metaphors connected to in OER? Differences and similarities The following is a brief, incomplete, and partially serious look at some popular models and metaphors considering, what they offer and some of their limits and problems

12. The music industry OER initiatives can model themselves on some parts of the music industry. They can make money by selling services and stuff around the content they give away for free

13. The music industry Pros Clear idea of paid for services to generate substantial income based on released content Model appears intuitive and accessible to many Con Very few bands can make a sustainable income from this approach Those that can are mostly already well established Many bands either fail out right or have a very limited shelf life

14. Open source software development OER initiatives can model themselves on open source development techniques and communities. Using voluntary community input Selling services around content

15. Open source software development Pros Clear idea of paid for, free, or community-supported services to generate substantial income based on openly released content Familiar to educational technologists, developers, and those interested in technology more generally Recognised ‘process’ for individuals to build demonstrable experience and reputation Cons Rate of failure of OSS projects (failure = unfinished and abandoned buggy code) Difficulty in attracting and sustaining community input Community input is often entirely self-motivated Skills developed are ‘easy’ to test /accredit

16. Open Access initiatives OER initiatives can model themselves on successful Open Access efforts in sharing preprints of scholarly works Use existing institutional structures, skills, staff Publicly funded stuff should be publicly available Doesn’t prevent others making money with materials

17. Open Access initiatives Pros Relatively successful model set in an academic environment Model has sustainability through ties to institutional priorities and use of existing infrastructure Cons Research materials and learning materials are very different (perceived value, shelf life) Model and relationship with other forms of publishing still in flux

18. The shop window OER initiatives can model themselves on shop windows / loss leaders. They can provide free access to some content to get people in so that they make you money by paying for other stuff

19. The shop window Pros Application of proven commercial models of loss leaders and of advertising and using samples Also provides an opportunity to enhance and promote institutional brand Cons Model does not need to be open just free Always going to be a partial approach to sharing content In academic sector, some value of giving away content known, risks unknown as yet

20. The free market OER initiatives can offer institutions a competitive edge and allow them to demonstrate the excellence of their courses

21. The free market Pros Model partially reflects the context universities are in Model will appeal to some universities and senior officers Cons Model likely to discourage reuse (we want our content out there) Focus on competition likely to shape and restrict what content is released The model may most appeal to the strong

22. The commune OER and OE initiatives can operate in a self sustaining manner based on relationship rather than ownership

23. The commune Pros Model appeals to academics desire to share knowledge and teach Model provides a ‘cause’ to join for altruistic reasons, out of commitment to your subject, or as a means to build reputation Cons Unclear how model is sustainable Unclear how it relates to institutions Unclear how model relates to accreditation works outside of institutions

24. The charity OER and OE initiatives can fulfil part of an institutions’ social responsibility. Institutions can attract charitable donations to promote access to education

25. The charity Pros Charitable funding model underpins much of early and large scale work releasing OER For institutions, education as charitable act may appeal as it ties into local view of social responsibility and any relevant government policy around access to education (also fits shop window model) Cons Foundations have their own priorities and these have largely shifted from funding OER release Appeal of charitable nature of OER is likely to be outweighed by required investment for many institutions

26. The lifetime member’s plan Alumni subscribe to their institution after graduation/ or sponsor a particular course. As materials are released they get ongoing access to services around the OER or some form of acknowledgement

27. The lifetime member’s plan Pros Alumni are an important source of additional income for universities Ongoing access to resources for professional development may also act as a ‘shop window’ Cons Role of alumni and their support for institution varies widely (by country and by institution) Largely untested as a sustainable approach?

28. The cute kitten Everyone likes cute kittens – OER are like cute kittens – everyone should like them People make lolcats for the fun of it and share them; people may make OER for the same reasons

29. The cute kitten Pros Everyone likes cute kittens and the idea of OER is likely to have similar mass appeal Cons Even if something is good that does not make it sustainable There may be a limit to how many kittens people need It can be very hard to find a particular kitten

30. The Reformation OER initiatives are like the Reformation – they offer a radical overhaul of education and the development of a flexible and individually oriented (rather than institutional) process of education

31. The Reformation Pros Many of those leading initiatives to develop OER do want radical change Many OER initiatives treated suspiciously at first by institutions Ties OER into an event that changed society Cons Potential to be a divisive metaphor for reasons unconnected to education Likely to put off institutions Blatantly ignores any historical understanding and unforeseen outcomes

32. To think about What models and metaphors are you basing your OER initiative on? How are you describing it when talking about it to academics/ managers/ others? What are the implications of your models and metaphors for sustainability?

33. Questions phil.barker@hw.ac.uk robert.robertson@strath.ac.uk lmc@strath.ac.uk l.yuan@bolton.ac.uk http://jisc.cetis.ac.uk/topic/oer 29