OpenER: A Dutch Initiative on OER

Robert Schuwer

Project leader OpenER

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Agenda

Why this experiment? Major goals Organisation Activities Courses Research Results Current status and future Lessons learned

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Mission of the OUNL

Working together within networks and alliances, OUNL develops, provides and promotes higher distance education of top quality.

The university is a pioneer in the innovation of higher education and aims at the wide-ranging needs of its students, the market and the community at large.

OUNL seeks to be an institution that is strongly anchored in the Dutch higher education system through its educational, research and innovation activities.

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OUNL and Life Long Learning

The OUNL is a major initiator, together with the national educational broadcasting company and the national infrastructure organisations for education and research, of a national initiative in the field of lifelong learning in which the employer’s organisations, the trade unions and the various educational branch organisations participate.

This national program aims at realizing a national learning infrastructure for lifelong learning, targeting individual learners and thereby bridging the gap between formal and informal learning.

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Why this experiment?

2000 / Lisbon Agreement: How can we increase the number of people with higher education?

Three courses of action: creating a wider range of learning tracks creating more diversity in higher education bringing more nontraditional groups (i.e.

employed and unemployed people) to higher education by extending opportunities for lifelong learning based, amongst others, on an e-learning approach

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Main characteristics

OpenER is flexible, open, time-independent, easy accessible (standard PC, Internet access, web browser are sufficient)

OpenER requires an individual to invest time and effort but does not incur any out-of pocket expenses. The content is self-contained. No materials have to be bought

Research and measurements of effectiveness around the project

Almost all learning material offered is in the Dutch language

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Intended outcomes (1)

16 courses of 25 study hours each (= 1 ECTS) or > 16 courses, totals to 400 hours

a user-friendly on-line delivery system user-friendly on-line facilities for self-testing and

assessment substantial marketing and communication to

create awareness with the Dutch population about OpenER and the OUNL

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Intended outcomes (2)

freely available academic level learning materials opportunities for those with limited experience and

confidence to become better prepared for formal education opportunities for formal testing and certification as a

starting point for higher education study extra enrollments in Dutch higher education knowledge on the effectiveness of open content delivery

for stimulating participation in higher education research and evaluation results on open content delivery

and community forming among users

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Financials

The OpenER-experiment received grants from The Directorate Learning and Working,

established by the Dutch Ministery of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministery of Social Affairs

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation To a total of approx. €660,000.

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Organisation

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Activities to start

Selection of Content Management System Independent of regular IT infrastructure

Formulate course characteristics Faculty tour

Three courses already available Hesitation to cooperate

“Give away your crown juwels for free“ No room for unplanned activities

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Course characteristics: initial

Size of 25 study hours

Given the target group: initial Bachelor level

Content handles a complete subject (no ending with a “cliffhanger”)

Intellectual properties on the material owned by the OUNL

In form and content representative for a regular OUNL course.

Course material in Dutch (to avoid creating a potential barrier when using the English or German language)

Derive a course for OpenER from an existing regular course

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Course characteristics: adjustments

Duration different from 25 hours Course in English Courses developed from scratch Add a read aloud version of some courses Add courses on an advanced level

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Course development

Jannes: hit the floor!

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Communication

Press releases around publication of new course National newspaper Internet newssites OUNL website and intranet

Weblog project leader

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Feedback

Feedbackforms General Linked to a course

Registration (voluntarily)

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Research

<<Sheets from John>>

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Results (1)

Launch on December 5, 2006 generated a lot of publicity

Some figures: 650,000 unique visitors, 12% returning 24 courses online (4 – 45 hours / course) Creative Commons by-nc-sa 2.5

Some objects excluded

5500 users registered Costs for creation €3000 - €30,000 2000 surveys submitted

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Results (2)

Five courses offered the possibility to do a formal examination and to earn a certificate. This service costs €50 for a user. About 80 learners applied for a formal examination.

One course was linked to a series of broadcasts about Dutch history on an educational channel on Dutch television. Each chapter of the course was linked to a broadcast in this serie. Each broadcast was afterwards available on internet, with the course linking to it.

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Proof of the pudding

Question on electronic order form for regular OUNL courses:

Was taking a free OpenER course a cause to order this course?

During period of 13/2/2008 to 15/4/2008: 10,5% of about 900 buyers answered yes.

Measurements are still going on

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Lessons learned (1)

For some users another language than the Dutch language is a barrier.

Courses of 4 hours were considered too short to get a good idea of what it means to study a subject on this level of education.

For courses that were fully webbased and did not offer the possibility to print out the course text, users asked for a printed version.

Errors in the courses were reported by the learners. The read aloud versions were hardly used. Main cause

reported was the automatic generation of a read aloud version of a webpage (using Readspeaker) with errors in pronunciation.

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Lessons learned (2)

Objectives for publishing open courses for faculties The courses should give a good picture of the

main subject areas in our faculty. The courses should show how entertaining

learning can be The courses should also be attractive for our own

students.

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Lessons learned (3)

Rely on quality awareness of authors Authors are already used in making self study

material Support of top management is crucial Producing courses should be a regular task at

faculties Higher delivery reliability Not dependant on few enthusiastic people