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Open Education - Wikipedia

Open education

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73 views3 pages

Open Education - Wikipedia

Open education

Uploaded by

kasifinance
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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10/26/2014

Open education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Open education
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Open education is a collective term[1] to describe institutional practices and programmatic initiatives that broaden
access to the learning and training traditionally offered through formal education systems. The qualifier "open" of
open education refers to the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for
participation in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness in or "opening up" education is the development
and adoption of open educational resources.
Institutional practices that seek to eliminate barriers to entry, for example, would not have academic admission
requirements. Such universities include The Open University in Britain and Athabasca University in Canada. Such
programs are commonly distance learning programs like e-learning, mooc and opencourseware, but not necessarily.
Where many e-learning programs are free to follow, the costs of acquiring a certification may be a barrier, many
open education institutes offer free certification schemes accredited by organisations like UKAS in the UK and
ANAB in the USA where others offer a badge.

Contents
1 History
2 Learning philosophies
3 Technology utilized
4 Drawbacks
5 See also

Open education and flexible learning

6 References

History
Even before the computer was developed, researchers at public universities were working at educating citizens
through informal education programs. In the early 1900s, 4-H clubs were formed which taught youth the latest in
technological advances in agriculture and home economics. The success that the youth had in utilizing 'new' methods
of farming and home economics, caused their parents to adopt the same practices. As the 4-H club idea was
spreading across the country, Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act which created the Cooperative Extension
Service in the United States Department of Agriculture. The Cooperative Extension Service is a partnership
between the USDA, land grant universities in each state, and counties throughout the United States. Through the
work of the Cooperative Extension Services and 4-H, people throughout the United States have easy and
inexpensive (most often free) access to the latest research done at the land-grant universities without having to visit
a college campus or attend college courses. The educational programs and resources offered by 4-H and the
Cooperative Extension Service meet people where they are at and offer them the opportunity to learn what they
want to know when they want to know it. In order to meet the changing needs of citizens and the use of new
technology, the Cooperative Extension Service has created eXtension. eXtension provides research based, nonbiased information on a wide variety of topics to people through the use of the internet.
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The ability to share resources on the web at little cost compared to the distribution of hard copy means that it can
be used to facilitate Open Education. An early example of this is the opencourseware program, which was
established in 2002 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which was followed by more than 200
Universities and organizations. Similar to the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and
Humanities from the Open Access movement, are the goals and intentions from Open Education specified in the
Cape Town Open Education Declaration. MOOC is a more recent form of online course development getting
more attention since the fall of 2011 which was followed by a number of non-certificate-granting programs,
including edX, Coursera and Udacity. [2]

Learning philosophies
Open education is motivated by a belief that learners desire to exercise
agency in their studies. Specifically, people engaged in the learning
process want: to conduct inquiries about potential topics of study; to
have a hands-on educational experience instead of a strictly textbookfocused education; to take responsibility for their educational decisions;
to experience the emotional and physical side of education; to understand
how education and community are related; and, to have personal choice
in the focus of their classroom studies.[2]
Open education and flexible learning
These learners do a great deal for one another in promoting learning.
Learning in a group environment or contributing to a group is beneficial to
the learner. Collaborative group work has substantial benefits, such as
increased participation by all of the group members, better understanding and retention of material, mastery of skills
essential to success, and increased enthusiasm that can spur the participant on to independent learning. The
philosophy of an open education centers on student learning and sees the teacher become the learning assistant.
Teachers are to observe, guide, and provide materials for the learners. The teachers should facilitate not dominate
the learning process. Open education is optimistic in the belief that the freedom of choice and student direction will

promote a better quality of learning.[3]


The basis for the learning philosophies of open education can be traced back to the work of educational reformer
John Dewey and developmental psychologist Jean Piaget.

Technology utilized
Available technologies for Open Education are important in the overall efficiency of the program. After available
technologies have been found, there needs to be appropriate applications on the technologies for the specific online
education program.
Since Open Education is usually a different time and different place for most individuals across the world, certain
technologies need to be utilized to enhance the program. Technologies that can be used are primarily online and
serve a variety of purposes. Web Pages and other computer based trainings may be used to provide lecture notes,
assessments, and other course materials. Videos are provided and feature speakers, class events, topic discussions,
and faculty interviews. YouTube and iTunesU are often used for this purpose. Students may interact through
computer conferencing with Skype or Google+, e-mail, online study groups, or annotations on social bookmarking
sites. Other course content may be provided through tapes, print, and CDs.
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Drawbacks
There are a number of concerns regarding the implementation of open education systems, specifically for use in
developing countries. These include: a potential lack of administrative oversight and quality assurance systems for
educators/materials in some programs; infrastructure limitations in developing countries; a lack of equal access to
technologies required for students' full participation in online education initiatives; and questions regarding the use of
copyrighted materials.

See also
Free education
Virginia Open Education Foundation
SLOOP Project
Outline of open education

References
1. ^ Open education for a global economy (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/open-education-for-aglobal-economy/)
2. ^ a b "Open Education - The Classroom, Philosophical Underpinnings, English Beginnings, The American
Experience, Controversies Questions and Criticisms" (http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2303/OpenEducation.html).
3. ^ "Cooperative Learning: Students Working in Small Groups"
(http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Newsletter/cooperative.pdf).

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Categories: Education terminology Free culture movement
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