This research strand explores the impact that an increasingly ‘open’ technologically mediated learning environment will have on learning in the future. In a world where content and expertise is often free and services are shifting to the ‘cloud’, we consider the implications for education. The research programme takes a particular position on the notion of “openness”; considering it from a broad perspective covering each major phase of the academic lifecycle: design, delivery, evaluation and research.
Open Educational Resources (OERs): gaining a richer understanding of how OERs are used, and through this supporting effective uptake through better design, repurposing and re-use of materials.
Open approaches to design: Supporting better sharing of learning and teaching ideas and the creation of a vibrant community of scholarship around learning and teaching. Making learning designs more explicit helps convey the meaning intentions of the designers to both those delivering courses and also to learners themselves.
Accessibility and evaluation: ensuring that learning technologies are as inclusive for learners as possible, and developing effective evaluation approaches which work for all.
Open Access Movement: capitalising on the outputs of the Open Access Movement to help us to shift to a research-led approach to teaching, ensuring that learning is informed by the very latest ethically-sound research findings.
Watch this short video of Professor Patrick McAndrew talking about Learning in an Open World:
Non-flash version of the video (for iPad and other users)
(download the PDF transcript of this video)
Existing projects include:
- Open Learning: Bridge to Success (Next Generation Learning Challenges funded project - see the Announcement)
- OULDI (OU Learning Design Initiative)
- OLnet (Open Learning network) - use and reuse of Open learning resources
- OER and Cloudworks case study (HE Academy)
- xDelia (Xcellence in Decision-making through Enhanced Learning in Immersive Applications)
- EU-funded OPAL OER project (IET is one of 7 international Open Educational Quality Initiative (OPAL) partners - promoting innovation and better quality education and training using open educational resources).
- Personal Inquiry
- Open Learning Design Studio MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)
