Introduction to Open Education, Recommendations, and Documents

1. Introduction to Open Education, Recommendations, and Documents

This lesson introduces the concept of open education, with a particular focus on practical guidelines for its implementation in higher education. These guidelines are based on the publication "Practical Guidelines on Open Education for Academics: Modernising Higher Education via Open Educational Practices (based on the OpenEdu Framework)". The goal of these guidelines is to encourage teachers, researchers, and other staff in the higher education system to apply open education practices supported by institutional policies. The document outlines the core dimensions of open education and presents examples of open educational practices that can be implemented within higher education institutions.

Open Educational Practices (OEP) are collaborative approaches that go beyond the creation, use, and adaptation of open educational content. They also include pedagogical practices that make use of digital technologies and social networks to support collaboration, peer learning, knowledge creation, and student empowerment.

Open Education (OE) primarily refers to the removal of all types of barriers in education, enabling everyone to learn anywhere, at any time, and with anyone's support, often with the support of digital technologies. According to the definition from the JRC OpenEdu Framework, its goal is to expand access to education by removing barriers and making learning accessible and adaptable for everyone. Open education promotes diverse approaches to teaching and learning and connects formal and informal educational contexts.

The following link is available in Croatian only. Participants may use free AI-powered translation tools to access the provided materials.

Additional information on open education can be found via the link. For more information on open educational resources, you can watch a short video. A transcript of the video is provided bellow or can be downloaded here.

What are Open Educational Resources? Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials for teaching, learning, and research that are in the public domain, or are available under a license that allows them to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. They can include entire courses, syllabuses, learning materials, collections, journals, and software. Content published in this way contributes to the development of open education, which aims to provide access to education to all interested parties regardless of their geographical location and financial capabilities. Where can I find or publish open educational resources? By searching the Internet, you will find a large number of educational resources. Before using, modifying or further distributing educational resources, it is recommended to check the type of license and any restrictions related to their use. If you have created educational resources and want to publish them publicly, you can do so on any network location. Well-known specialized repositories for open educational resources are: Jorum, OER Commons, Curriki, and many others. An example of a specialized repository in the Republic of Croatia is Dabar. However, before publishing, do not forget to protect your copyrights and define the terms of use. The Creative Commons licensing system can assist you with this, as it is easy to use and internationally recognized, and a growing number of educational materials are available under these very licenses. The University Computing Centre (Srce) supports open access and open educational resources, contributing to the development and maintenance of open and sustainable national infrastructures. It has established and implements the Srce Open Access Policy in line with open access principles, and publishes educational content resulting from Srce's work in open access. This video was recorded as part of Open Education Week 2015 with the aim of promoting and encouraging open education in Croatia.

Accessibility

Reset All

Background Colour