The latest edition of ScieCom Info (vol 4, No 2, 2008), an interactive information forum for Nordic/Baltic countries, is a double issue addressing the issue of Open Higher Education. Two of the articles and their respective abstracts: (via Open Access News)
Open Higher Education in Estonia by Anune Valk
- The paper gives an overview of the open higher education in Estonian universities during the last 15 years. It describes in more detail degree programmes specially oriented for adult learners, university continuing education and e-learning are analysed. The paper finds that although open higher education lives quite well in Estonia due to the huge need for new” education in a fastly changing society, there are also problems. Problems are mainly related to lack of resources, since most of the adult-oriented education is fee based. Lack of skills to teach adults on teachers side and attitudes of potential students that it is too late to learn are Additional obstacles are that teachers lack the skills to teach adults and that potential stidnets have the attitude that it is too late to learn. A specific Estonian problem (small country) is the lack of university text-books in the local language. This is mainly a problem for adult students.
Open Educational Resources in Swedish Higher Education by Per Westman, and Jonas Paulsson
- The reuse of OER in Swedish higher education is still at its infancy. We do not know much about driving forces behind the production and use of it. We suggest that the next step to be taken is by the vice chancellors at the Universities. As long as the use and production of OER is not sanctioned at the institutional level we can not expect much more to happen.
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