Exploring OERs and MOOCs to Enhance the Online Learning Experience

Open Educational Resources (OERs) have revolutionised education by reshaping knowledge access, sharing, and utilisation. They offer a wide range of materials beyond textbooks, catering to diverse learning preferences. OERs' unique licensing model allows for free usage, modification, and redistribution, fostering creativity and personalised learning.

OERs promote a global community of educators and learners, facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration. This interconnectedness enhances educational content and encourages continuous improvement in education. Overall, OERs democratise access to quality learning materials, fostering a culture of sharing and innovation in education.

A. OERs

OERs are freely accessible materials in various formats, available in the public domain or under open licenses, allowing modifications and redistribution. OER includes courses, materials, textbooks, videos, software, and tools for knowledge access. The OER movement aims to provide unrestricted access to educational resources for legal utilisation, copying, adaptation, and sharing, enhancing teaching and learning practices through technology and information.

In 2008, the Internet for Everyone initiative was launched in the US with support from eBay, Google, Free Press, Educause, and others. The initiative focused on three strategies: engaging educators and learners in creating and sharing OERs, urging publishers to release resources openly, and involving government and higher education in supporting the initiative.

1. Open Publishing

Open publishing involves creating transparent content accessible to readers. Users contribute posts and stories, promptly displayed in publicly available resources with minimal filtering. Users can view editorial decisions and comments, participate in decisions, and modify software. Source redistribution is encouraged on open publishing platforms, allowing direct content uploads. Filtering and control levels vary by organisations and sites.

Open publishing principles promote public participation, minimal editorial control, and transparency. Wikipedia is a prime example, a free online encyclopedia allowing anyone to edit articles. Owned by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia is the most extensive general reference work on the internet. Content openness refers to user rights evaluated through the 4Rs framework, which includes the essential rights for OERs:

1. Reuse: Users have the right to utilise the material without altering its original form;

2. Review: Users can adjust, modify, or translate the resource;

3. Remix: Users can combine or modify the resource with other materials to create something new;

4. Redistribute: Users can share copies of the original material, adaptations, or remixes.

The following are the main characteristics of OERs:

1. Open access: Content is freely accessible for reading, downloading, copying, printing, and distribution.

2. Open source: Free software like Moodle is accessible for creating online courses.

3. Open practice: It aims to revolutionise the learning environment for institutions and individuals.

4. Open course: It refers to online courses offered for free or for a fee.

Below are some examples of OER categories:

1. Content: Modules, e-books, videos, assessment tools, etc.

2. Tools: Online software, content management system (CMS) like Joomla and learning management system (LMS) like Moodle.

3. Resources: Creative Commons licenses for free usage with restrictions.

Teachers can contribute to OERs through various platforms:

1. Share My Lesson: A platform by educators nationwide offering high-quality education resources.

2. Teacher.org Lesson Plans: Provides categorised lesson plans created by experienced educators.

3. EDUTOPIA: Offers resources for project-based learning, teacher development, and technology integration.

4. TES: Provides OERs for various educational levels including lesson plans and student activities.

5. E-Guru Videos: Enhances teaching practices through materials from the Ministry of Education of Malaysia.

6. Amazon Inspire: An OER platform offering free learning materials from preschool to twelfth grade.

2. Creative Commons (CC)

Creative Commons is a US-based non-profit organisation promoting knowledge and creativity sharing globally through free copyright licenses and open access. One key aspect of CC is its standardised licensing framework for content creators, institutions, and businesses. Creators retain copyright, while others can use, copy, and distribute resources for non-commercial purposes globally. Licensors can add extra permissions, and users must follow the licensing conditions. Teachers and students must follow copyright guidelines:

1. Obtain permission for non-public domain content in presentations, wikis, or blogs.

2. Use public domain website information freely, and follow CC license guidelines.

3. Contact owners for unclear information.

CC licenses for non-commercial use with modification restrictions. Educators should know these licenses and how to use materials legally.

1. Under the Attribution (BY) license, licensees can copy, distribute, display, and perform the work, create derivative works, and remixes with proper attribution.

2. Share-alike (SA) licensees can distribute derivative works under an identical license to the original work.

3. Non-commercial (NC) licensees can use the work for non-commercial purposes.

4. No Derivative (ND) works licensees can only copy, distribute, display, and perform exact copies of the work.

Apart from identifying the rights that are associated with the icons, teachers should also study the seven regularly used licences, and learn how to use the materials or resources without infringing any copyright of intellectual property. Utilise CC licenses for resources without copyright concerns through:

1. CC Search Tool: Explore images, music, and videos without permission at https://search.creativecommons.org

2. CC Collection: Compile resources from various categories like images, media, web, video, and music

3. Wikimedia Commons: Access CC-licensed images and videos on Wikipedia

CC licenses require attribution. Teachers can find CC-licensed photos on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons. Photos are displayed based on the chosen license type. When using CC-licensed photos, teachers must provide attribution, follow non-commercial use, and no derivatives. To comply, teachers need:

1. Picture URL – https://goo.gl/FhfEX2

2. Picture name – Orchid

3. Photographer's name – CameliaTWU (on and off)

4. CC license – BY-NC-ND.

CC recommends the TASL format: title, author, source, and license. For more on proper attribution, see https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Best_practices_for_attribution. CC offers OERs categorised by subjects, education level, and standards. The hub features curated digital collections by librarians. Resources can be filtered by various criteria and are available in 45 languages.

a. Global Affiliate Network

1. CC has partnered with over 500 volunteers worldwide to collect OERs and manage copyright issues.

   1. They also collaborate with NGOs.

2. CC established a shared platform with key figures in content and knowledge sharing, enabling sharing billions of works.

3. CC provides tools like Open Author for educators to create licensed educational resources easily.

   1. The Lesson Builder is for K-12 education, and the Module Builder is for higher education.

b. Professional Development

ISKME in California empowers educators with skills and resources to advance OERs globally through research and development. Action Collabs are workshops that leverage the design-thinking framework to inspire new ideas, focusing on collaboration and idea generation through a four-step process:

1. Identifying Opportunities: Participants actively engage in interviewing stakeholders involved in the design challenge;

2. Designing: The group collectively brainstorms new methods, tools, and processes tailored to the design challenge;

3. Prototyping: Design concepts are translated into prototypes and continuously tested to refine the design;

4. Scaling and Disseminating: Once an idea is developed, the group explores avenues for global dissemination.

ISKME actively participates in the Big Ideas Fest, an annual event that brings together educators and innovators to exchange insights and best practices. The event includes talks, networking opportunities, and Action Collabs to empower education champions. ISKME is also involved in research and development (R&D), exploring new areas for educational research and evaluating project impacts since 1999.

B. MOOCs

Many individuals are concerned about the rising cost of higher education. However, there is an alternative: over 500 free online courses from recognised universities worldwide. These academic courses, known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), enable individuals to enhance their professional skills. MOOCs started gaining popularity in 2012, with the University of Manitoba launching the first MOOC in 2008. They are open to all, fostering continuous learning through a network-based system.

In 2016, the number of courses available doubled from the previous year, reaching around 4,000 courses from various universities. Currently, there are over 6,850 courses offered by more than 700 universities, attracting 58 million students. The top five MOOC providers by registered users are Coursera (23 million), edX (10 million), XuetangX (6 million), FutureLearn (5.3 million), and Udacity (4 million).

a. Why MOOCs?

Abas (2015) identified several motivations:

1. Enhancing academic and professional development

2. Crafting one's educational path

3. Learning at a self-determined pace

4. Accessing learning opportunities anytime, anywhere, and on any device

5. Gaining knowledge from distinguished educators and subject matter experts

6. Obtaining certifications from leading international universities/MOOC providers

7. Collaborating and learning from global classmates

b. Types of MOOCs

Initially, Downes (2012) distinguished between xMOOCs and cMOOCs. xMOOCs follow a behaviourist approach akin to traditional classrooms, often hosted on university platforms. The first xMOOC, Artificial Intelligence, was launched at Stanford University, featuring video lectures and auto-graded multiple-choice assignments.

On the other hand, cMOOCs are based on connectivist learning theory, focusing on creating knowledge through connections with other learners, software, and the instructor. Other MOOC variations include Distributed Online Collaborative Courses (DOCCs), Big Open Online Courses (BOOCs), Synchronous Massive Online Courses (SMOCs), Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs), and Corporate Open Online Courses (COOCs), each offering unique features and benefits.

c. Beneficial MOOCs for Educators

Explore a selection of MOOCs supporting teacher development:

1. Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms

   1. Boost student engagement and achievement through positive psychology.

2. Emerging Trends and Technologies in the Virtual K-12 Classroom

   1. Learn about new teaching and learning trends.

3. Learning to Teach Online

   1. Focus on educational technology's impact on teaching and learning.

4. K-12 Blended and Online Learning

   1. Develop blended or online units for K-12 students

5. Using Open Educational Resources in Teaching

   1. Enhance teaching practices through educational material sharing.

6. Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning

   1. Web 2.0 Tools: Integrate Web 2.0 tools effectively in teaching.

7. Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills

   1. Develop modern teaching skills for the 21st Century.

d. Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through MOOCs

Teachers face new challenges, including policies affecting pedagogy, assessment, and technology. To improve, educators can utilise MOOCs for:

1. Free courses

   1. Many universities offer free MOOCs, which are ideal for institutions with limited budgets.

2. Flexibility

   1. MOOCs allow teachers to learn at their convenience, with access to materials and lectures anytime.

3. Adaptability

   1. MOOCs can be customised to suit organisational needs, promoting democratic content rights.

4. Continuous learning

   1. Courses are available 24/7, aiding in skill acquisition and fostering discipline.

5. Resource utility

   1. Some MOOC materials can be adapted for classroom use, enhancing learning.

6. Peer teaching

   1. Educators can share knowledge from MOOCs with peers, benefiting professional learning communities.

e. The Future of MOOCs

MOOCs aim to provide high-quality education globally, but internet access limitations hinder access in remote areas of India, China, Africa, and South America. Moreover, there is an educational gap with 80% of registrants being employed graduates from affluent families in BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates). To address this, MOOC providers, with government support, must tackle internet, financial, language, and web accessibility barriers.

1. Internet accessibility barrier

   1. Disparities in internet access globally hinder universal education access through MOOCs.

2. Financial barrier

   1. The rising costs of maintaining MOOCs challenge their sustainability.

3. Language barrier

   1. Most MOOCs are in English, posing a challenge for non-English speakers.

4. Web accessibility barrier

   1. MOOCs need to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities and be truly open to all learners.

To Sum Up...

The OER movement enables legal, free access to educational materials for copying, adapting, and sharing. Researchers, educators, and students can openly publish their work through open publishing. Creative Commons (CC) promotes knowledge and creativity sharing for an innovative world. Organisations like ISKME support educators in advancing OERs through training and resources.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer online learning without attendance restrictions, influenced by behaviorist and connectivist theories. Types include xMOOCs, cMOOCs, DOCCs, BOOCs, SMOCs, SPOCs, and COOCs. Providers like Coursera, edX, Udacity, and Udemy collaborate with universities for teacher professional development. MOOCs assist teachers with free courses, flexibility, ongoing learning, and resources within communities.

References

• Abas, Z. (2015). Why MOOCs? International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(2), 156-160. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJIET.2015.V5.488

• Downes, S. (2012). Connectivism and connective knowledge: Essays on meaning and learning networks. National Research Council Canada. https://www.downes.ca/post/57911

• Wikipedia. (n.d.). Open educational resources. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources

Let's Recall...

1. What are the characteristics of Open Educational Resources (OERs) based on the 4Rs framework?

2. What motivations did Abas (2015) identify for participating in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)?

3. What are the different types of MOOCs available in the text?

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