Presentation at the 3rd International Enhancement in Higher Education Conference 2017

1. Is open and online
reconfiguring learner
journeys?

2. About the OEPS project
• Aims:
• To enhance Scotland’s reputation and capacity for developing
publicly available and openly licenced online materials,
supported by high quality pedagogy and learning technology
• To develop and disseminate good practice in the use of openly
licenced online materials in ways that contribute to equity and
social justice

3. What do we mean by OER?
• Our understanding of Open Educational Resources is grounded
in established notions of openly licensed content. We have a
specific focus on freedoms afforded by openly licensing content
(allowing “The 5 Rs”: retain, reuse, revise, remix, redistribute)
and the degree to which design, development and distribution
accounts for equity and openness.

4. What do we mean by OEP?
• Open Educational Practices are usually understood as
approaches to teaching and facilitation using technology to
support learning in the context of high quality OER.
• The OEPS project has found it helpful to extend notions of
Open Educational Practice to the include social practices that
mediate between providers, partners and learners.
• We have explored the value of co-design with partners and
learners.

5. OEPS
• Three year project ends 31
July 2017
• OEPS has worked with more
than 60 partners to identify and
share good practice.
• Working with some of these
partners to develop exemplar
free, openly licensed courses
www.oepscotland.org

6. A changing landscape
• MIT Open Courseware 2001 – since then huge increase in the
availability of free and openly licenced online learning materials
• At same time shift from PC/laptop to smart digital devices
• Google and YouTube part of everyday life
• It is now possible to assume that almost all of those who become
students in higher education have some experience of the digital world
and access to some kind of digital device. This familiarity, however,
doesn’t necessarily mean that students arrive in higher education with
appropriate skills or confidence for learning.

7. Changing experience
• Organisations that support transitions now believe that digital
skills are essential
• Almost all students, young and mature, arrive in HE with some
digital skills – some may have new forms of credential (open
badges)
• Some organisations in the informal learning sector are moving
towards/ making use of open resources

8. New perceptions
• New students in HE may have a whole range of views about
learning conditioned by prior experience that often includes
online and may include open.
• The digital native characterisation is often not helpful when
thinking about skills for learning in HE

9. Question
• Is there a disconnect between pedagogy, practice, student
needs and student experience?
• And if there is what does this imply for supporting widening
participation transitions

10. Follow up
• Findings from the OEPS project can be found at
www.oepscotland.org and www.oeps.ac.uk Recent papers
relevant to this presentation include:
• Cannell, P. (2016) ‘Lifelong learning and partnerships:
rethinking the boundaries of the university in the digital age’,
Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 18(1), 61–73.
• Cannell, P. and Macintyre, R. (2017) ‘Free open online
resources in workplace and community settings – a case study
in overcoming barriers’, Widening Participation and Lifelong
Learning, 19(1), 111-122.