[Oer-community] Recentering our discussion

[Jacobs Nkem]

Hello everyone,

I think OCW is one of the most commendable innovations of our time. It is simplifying learning and could crash the cost of education to next to nothing if properly applied.

However, the pace of deployment is abysmally low. Those who need it are not getting access to it because they are not aware of it's existence and how to use it. Professors, researchers and other members of the enlightened academic communities use OCW because they know how it works and how it could be deployed to achieve great ends. So, when this same community talks about OCW and its application and benefits in their isolated communities it is like preaching to the converted.

What I would rather see is a situation where most universities and research institutes deploy OCW platforms to deliver at least 30% of their professional courses. I believe this will reduce the cost of part time education worldwide and enhance the spread of knowledge. Also governments should be enlightened to integrate OCW into their educational policies for easy acceptability and deployment.

To make OCW development and use sustainable, I suggest universities come together in groups to build and manage platforms. By so doing the burden would be bearable as both cost and expertise required would not need to be provided by any one institution.

I fully support two of the models proposed:  1).  Non-Work-for-Hire Publisher Models - the private sector [publishers] create [and sell] OERs [textbooks],  but retain ownership of the work. 2) Work for Hire Models -  the public sector (i.e.., governments, colleges and universities) produces OERs directly [and authors create the work on a work-for-hire basis. So, the entity that pays their salaries owns the work and has the right to distribute it. Both have the tendency to inculcate transparency and accountability in the OER content management process while ensuring availability.

I salute all organisations and individuals that are making efforts to popularise OCW.

Regards

Jacobs Nkem Nnamdi

Product Manager
Afribank Nigeria Plc
_______________________________________
From: oer-community-bounces at athabascau.ca [oer-community-bounces at athabascau.ca] On Behalf Of Susan D'Antoni [susandantoni at gmail.com]
Sent: 13 October 2010 03:57
To: oer-community at athabascau.ca
Subject: [Oer-community] Recentering our discussion

Dear Colleagues,

We have had an exchange on the OER Foundation that is important, but
it has taken us away from the topic of this discussion.

We are rapidly coming to the end of our discussion with Mary Lou and
her colleagues on the OpenCourseWare Consortium meeting.

I would like to suggest that we conclude the discussion by returning
our focus to the original framework for the discussion, and making any
last comments on the discussions related to the four areas put forward
that were the organizing principle of the conference:

Building OCW,

Using OCW as a Platform,

Sustaining OCW,

Educational Policy and OCW.

Mary Lou will summarize before she finishes her time with us, but it
would be very interesting to have some last comments from you on what
have been the main issues or concerns raised in the consideration of
the confenernce themes.

Best,

Susan

--
Susan D'Antoni

Advisor to the President
Athabasca University
Canada
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