EDCI 339 Blog Post 4

Open Pedagogy and Resources

What is Open Pedagogy?

            Open pedagogy is the educational approach that focuses on collaboration , sharing, and using open resources to enhance learning (Hotchin, 2024). To further elaborate, here is a video that gives more information. 

One of the things that stood out for me of this video is how it is framed within a larger social justice movement (DeCarlo, 2021). One of the ways that this is done is through open education resources. Since I am a university student, I have access to a large collection of journal articles through the library using my login information. However, there have been times I have been frustrated when there was a resource I could not find. Even with access to so much material, there are still some things that I do not have access to. Now if I were to imagine not being in a university, that would mean that almost all of the journal articles and scholarly work would not be accessible to me. Some would argue that they can use the public library, but there are so many books that are not carried by the library, and even those that are, are often checked out with a long waiting list. It differs from traditional teaching methods in that it is more fluid and open. For example, there is a great resource called the “Open Pedagogy Notebook,” in which there are textbooks and resources packaged within course titles.

https://openpedagogy.org/examples/

This is different than traditional teaching methods because it creates the content for students to encounter themselves. It is empowering for them in that there are no obstacles for learning and they can learn at their own pace and for their own reasons.

The Role and Impact of OER

            Open Educational Resources are the teaching and learning materials that anybody can access, use, and share (Hotchin, 2024). The advantages of this approach is that it is accessible to anybody in the world. OER are free and legal to use, so students do not have to worry about licenses (Ontario Tech, nd). OER contributes in two major ways. One way is that it makes content available to people who otherwise would not have access to it. In the other way, it also breaks down barriers for the content creators. There are experts in certain fields that do not have the laurels to get into journals or have their work published, but have contributed through other ways, such as through blogs or YouTube. One of my favourite YouTube channels is “Oversimplified History.” It is a comedic but detailed and well-researched look at historical events. It is also accessible to anybody. Here is a video example of it.

Global Trends in OER

            Some of the key global trends of OER are increased adoption, policy development, collaboration and sharing, and focusing on inclusivity (Hotchin, 2024). As mentioned earlier, open pedagogy is part of an overall trend that seeks to make the world more equitable. There is a map online called “OER World Map” that shows all the organizations and resources that can be accessed. It is a useful resource and highlights how many institutions and NGOs are taking part in the project. 

https://oerworldmap.org/resource/

            It seems that in the world, it is the higher education institutions that are taking the lead. Many universities are offering courses that are available for students anywhere. This is promising but there are also other organizations getting involved. From looking at this map, it is clear that it is the developed world that is providing OER. This is probably because of the resources available to them, and also because some organizations have not made themselves as well-known yet. 

Understanding Creative Commons Licensing

            There are various approaches to understanding Creative Commons licenses. It is often believed that it just means everything is free and accessible, but that is not the case. There are different kinds of access, that range from free access to payment for some forms of access (Hotchin, 2024). For further explanation, I found this video that explains it in a straightforward way. 

The video helps to explain the icons and access, but what made it easy for me to understand was in the explanation of the reason for having creative commons licensing, which is that it is time-consuming to give permission to each request, so the creator of the content can instead have rules for access. This helps to streamline the process. For example, if I make a piece of music, I can choose to allow anybody to use it or I can have different kinds of access for it. This helps me control what I want done with my work, and also gives people access to it. 

Attributes of Open Pedagogy

            In thinking about the attributes of Open Pedagogy can be implemented in my educational practices I would try to create activities and structure the lessons in ways that are empowering and transparent. I had a teacher once who would often tell us how she came up with the activities that she was going to have us do. She would also say why she thought the lesson was important and how she was going to grade it. That kind of transparency is refreshing. In contrast, most of my teachers would just give us work every day without any explanation, and we were just supposed to it. Within an Open Pedagogy context, that would include having course outlines that the students could view as a map, and then also explain what skills are being learned in each lesson or what the outcomes should be. This could help the learners understand what approach they should take and they can manage their time well.

References

DeCarlo, M. (2021). “A short introduction to open pedagogy.” YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJMkyTvvg6k

Hotchin, J. (2024). “Open Pedagogy and Resources.” EDCI 339.  https://connectedlearningpathways.ca/category/edci-339-a01-module-4/

Ontario Tech. (nd). “Myths and Facts About OER.” Ontario Tech.  https://learninginnovation.ontariotechu.ca/oer/about-oer/myths-and-facts.php

Open Pedagogy Notebook. (nd) https://openpedagogy.org

U of G Library. (2018). “What are Creative Commons Licenses.” YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srVPLrmlBJY