Open educational practices
[citation needed] OEP is a broad concept which can be characterised by a range of collaborative pedagogical practices that include the use, reuse, and creation of OER and that often employ social and participatory technologies for interaction, peer-learning, knowledge creation and sharing, empowerment of learners, and open sharing of teaching practices.
[3] Such activities may include (but are not limited to),[3] the creation, use and repurposing of open educational resources and their adaptation to the contextual setting.
[13] OER are often created as part of an OEP strategy, and viewed as a contribution to the transformation of 21st century learning and learners.
A definition used by others either in its entirety[14] or as basis for further development[3][13][14] is provided by the Ehlers, who defines OEP "as practices which support the (re)use and production of OER through institutional policies, promote innovative pedagogical models, and respect and empower learners as co-producers on their lifelong learning path".
Additionally, OEP has shown potential for use in addressing social justice issues through provision of increased access,[26] modification for inclusion of diverse voices,[28] and democratization of scholarly conversations.
[26] The networked participation which takes place as learners work together in a community to create knowledge can result in increased student engagement.
Use of these tools and experience facilitate innovative pedagogical practices resulting in benefits beyond simply mastering course content.
For instance, Nusbaum describes a project in which students were invited to modify the openly licensed textbook being used in their psychology course.
[35] Nusbaum (2020) found that diversifying content through OEP contributes to an improved sense of belonging for subsequent students using the resource.
Lambert, for example, argues that technology driven initiatives can help only when there is awareness and willingness from societies, governments and individuals to make changes to address social injustices.
Open education in online learning does not provide affordability to disadvantaged learners by default, this needs to be embedded with care and awareness.
The scope of OEP covers all areas of OER governance: policy makers, managers and administrators of organizations, educational professionals and learners.
[14] Open e-Learning Content Observatory Services (OLCOS) project is a Transversal Action under the European eLearning Programme.
Open Educational Practices aim to deliver a competency-focused, constructivist paradigm of learning and promote a creative and collaborative engagement with digital content, tools and services to meet knowledge and skills required today.
[45][44] Sharing is at the heart of the philosophy OER and probably OEP and thus collective and cooperative activities between people and institutions are likely to be a key factor in the sustainability of such practices.
