Phil Ker’s blog draws attention to the International Center for Open Education which will be launched on May 2009 as part of the Otago Polytechnic’s Open Education Resource initiative. Excerpts:
We hope that the Center will be a true catalyst for mainstreaming institutional involvement in the OER movement, which we believe has much to offer the institutions which participate, their staff and our communities. The Center will:
-provide advice and support to educational practitioners, policy makers, decision makers and institutions to implement OER
-facilitate research, dissemination and sharing of knowledge and experiences regarding the sustainable implementation of OER
-provide financial assistance for collaborative projects working on the design, development and delivery of education materials
-initiate activities that build capacity amongst educators in the design, development and use of open education resources.I am confident that this initiative will provide real leadership both in New Zealand and internationally for collaborative educational activities. There is so much scope for reduced costs for institutions and reduced workloads for staff if we are willing to give away some of the ” no one does it better than us” attitude and to share our expertise.
One of the things tertiary institutions will have to take on board is that if we embrace OER we have to develop new business models – and especially so if our owners continue to underfund us.
yeah – but notice the motivation. Reduce cost. Typical – and doomed