Playing catch-up: investigating public and institutional policies for OER practices in Australia

Article


Bossu, Carina, Brown, Mark and Bull, David. 2011. "Playing catch-up: investigating public and institutional policies for OER practices in Australia." Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning. 15 (2), pp. 41-54.
Article Title

Playing catch-up: investigating public and institutional policies for OER practices in Australia

ERA Journal ID45066
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsBossu, Carina (Author), Brown, Mark (Author) and Bull, David (Author)
Journal TitleJournal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning
Journal Citation15 (2), pp. 41-54
Number of Pages14
Year2011
Place of PublicationWellington, New Zealand
ISSN1173-5945
Web Address (URL)http://journals.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/viewFile/44/42
Abstract

This article explores many of the most well-known Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives worldwide and then reports on OER developments in Australia. It also discusses a current research project funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), including its design and methods of data collection and analysis. Although the study reported here is ongoing, a survey of the tertiary sector to establish current 'state of play' of OERs in Australia has been completed. The authors examine a preliminary analysis that focuses mostly on OER policies at governmental and institutional levels. The analysis shows that the OER movement remains relatively immature in Australia. Also, according to the survey's participants, the government and educational institutions need to give much greater consideration to a regulatory framework in which the use of OER and Open Educational Practices (OEP) can be fostered and encouraged. Isolated OER activities exist, but there appears to be a great deal of catching up required if Australia is to have coordinated initiatives to foster innovation and a culture of more OEPs.

Keywordsopen educational practices; OER; open educational resources; OEP; educational policies; research in OEP
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390499. Specialist studies in education not elsewhere classified
Byline AffiliationsUniversity of New England
Massey University, New Zealand
Open Access College
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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