1. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Establishing a Framework for OCW to Expand
Formal Access to Education
Igor Lesko
eLearning Africa, May 23-25, 2012, Cotonu, Benin
igorlesko@ocwconsortium.org
Open Sharing, Global Benefits
The OpenCourseWare Consortium
www.ocwconsortium.org

2. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Who we are
A propos de nous

3. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
The OCW Consortium is a worldwide community of hundreds of universities and
associated organizations committed to advancing OpenCourseWare and its
impact on global education. We serve as a resource for starting and sustaining
OCW projects, as a coordinating body for the movement on a global scale, and
as a forum for exchange of ideas and future planning.
Le Consortium OpenCourseWare est une communauté mondiale de plusieurs
centaines d'universités et d’institutions engagées à promouvoir
l’OpenCourseWare (OCW) et faire progresser son impact sur l'éducation
globale. Nous sommes là pour aider au démarrage et au suivi des projets
OCW en tant qu’organisme de coordination du mouvement à l'échelle
mondiale et en tant que creuset d'idées et d’orientations stratégiques.

4. 1%
21%
22%
32%
7%
2%
1%
13%
1%
Over 250 institutions and
organizations worldwide supporting
open sharing in education

5. OCW growth

6. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
What is OpenCourseWare?
An OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open digital publication of high
quality college and university‐level educational materials. These materials are
organized as courses, and often include course planning materials and
evaluation tools as well as thematic content. OpenCourseWare are free and
openly licensed, accessible to anyone, anytime via the internet.
Qu’est-ce qu’un site OpenCourseWare?
Un site OpenCourseWare (OCW) est un site de publication libre et ouverte de
matériel éducatif numérique de niveau universitaire a collège de haute qualité.
Ces ressources sont structurées sous forme de cours en ligne, et
comprennent souvent des supports pédagogiques, des plannings, et des outils
d'évaluation ainsi que des medias audio, vidéos… Les ressources
OpenCourseWare sont sous licence libre, accessibles à tous, gratuitement et
à tout moment via Internet.

7. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Context: Growing Demand for Higher Education
versus Challenges facing Higher Education Landscape
Fact: Demand for Higher Education continues to grow globally
• Year 2004 - 132 million students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions
worldwide (up by 68 million when compared with the year 1991) – annual
growth rate 5.1%.
• However, participation in HE is distributed unevenly. Participation in Africa
is less than 45% and less than 2% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Tens of thousands of universities would have to be built (with 40 000
students each) in order accommodate growing demand for HE from South
American, Asian and African regions.
•Reference: International Council for Open and Distance Learning (2009): Global Trends in
Higher Education, Adult and Distance Learning (http://xr.com/zxc9). Accessed 14 May 2012.

8. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Context: Growing Demand for Higher Education
versus Challenges facing Higher Education Landscape
Fact: Higher Education Institutions are struggling to meet this demand:
• Infrastructural challenges
Between 2006 -2015, 45 billion US $ would be needed to increase
capacities of institutions worldwide (such as build more classrooms, lecture
halls, etc) with 20 billion needed for low-income countries
• Severe budget cuts affect core operations with a number of negative
consequences
• Between 1991 and 2006 the number of students in Africa tripled (from
2.7mil to 9.3 mil) and quadrupled in some regions while amount of funding
only doubled.
• Reference: World Bank (2010): Financing Higher Education in Africa
(http://elibrary.worldbank.org/content/book/9780821383346). Report accessed 14 May 2012.

9. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
How can HEIs respond (are responding) within this
context and how does it affect Demand for Education?
Response Scenarios Effects on Demand
• Increase student fees • Negative (higher drop out rates)
• Retrench staff • Negative (affects intake)
• Decrease student loans/ • Negative (drop outs and affects new
scholarships intake)
• Increase student numbers • Negative (overcrowding – quantity at
the expense of quality)
• Build more universities/ expand • Positive but not viable for many
existing infrastructure
• Diversify funding sources (research • Positive/Negative (more focus
projects, etc) devoted to projects less time for
existing/new students)
• Focus on open and distance • Positive
teaching/ elearningprogrammes
How about OpenCorseWare& Open Education Resources?

10. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
What do we know about users of OCW?
• Thousands of people are accessing OCW/OER on a daily basis
• OCW/OER serves the needs of various market segments such as self-learners,
life-long learners, current students, working professionals (job – related training
and career advancement education) and faculty members.
Who are the users of OCW? Frequency Percentage
Student - secondary or high school 70 8%
Student - university first degree 186 22%
Student - university advanced degree 81 10%
Faculty/Teacher 83 10%
Self-learner 185 22%
Working professional 183 22%
Employer 6 1%
Other 35 4%

11. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
What do we know about users of OCW?
Who are the users of OCW (age)? Frequency Percentage
19 and under 137 17%
20-29 267 32%
30-39 149 18%
40-49 123 15%
50-59 103 12%
60 and above 50 6%
How do they use OCW? Frequency Percentage
To help understand concepts I am studying 365 45%
To learn something for a specific project or task 240 30%
To supplement/create teaching materials 172 21%
To update my skills or knowledge for work 401 50%
For my own interest 470 58%
Other 52 6%

12. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
What do we know about users of OCW?
• Results based on 829 respondents from over 70 countries
• Source: OCWC Feedback Survey March 2011 - May 2012
• Note: Respondents could select more than one option so percentages might
not add up to 100%
• Report consolidating results from various OCW user feedback surveys is
available on our website (http://xr.com/pzk7)
What else do users want out of OCW/OER?
• How can I get a credit for taking the course
• How can I get a certificate for taking the course
• Martin Bean (OU UK) recently stated that #1 question on twitter from users of
OU UK’s content on iTunesU is: Where can I get credit for taking the course?
Within the context of OCW/OER and challenges HEIs face today this is highly
relevant for higher education institutions when thinking how to create value for
its customers, how to increase revenue, and how to increase access to higher
education.

13. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Emerging Initiatives: New Approaches to HE
Business Models within the context of OER/OCW
Business Model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures
value. Most definitions of BM highlight 4 key elements:
Business Model – Key Elements Description
Customer value proposition Defines how and organization will
address a customer need
Value Chain Organizes processes, partners, and
resources to deliver the value
proposition
Profit formula Lays out how an organization will make
money
Competitive strategy Describes how an organization will
compete with rivals and defend its
position in the value network.
Source: EDUCAUSE (2012): Rethinking Higher Education Business Models
(http://www.educause.edu/Resources/RethinkingHigherEducationBusin/249613). Article accessed 14
May 2012.

14. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
OERtest: Examining opportunities and barriers to recognizing
and accrediting OER-based learning in European Universities.
http://www.oer-europe.net/scenarios
The debate around the potential of OERs to widen access to higher education,
especially to the less privileged parts of the world, implies access to
assessment and accreditation processes within universities.

15. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
The OER University http://wikieducator.org/OER_university/Home
The OER university is a virtual collaboration of institutions such as Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa (UNISA), US and more, committed to creating
flexible pathways for OER learners to gain formal academic credit.
The OER university aims to provide free learning to all students worldwide
using OER learning materials with pathways to gain credible qualifications from
recognised education institutions.

16. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
The Open University Netherlands (OU NL)
• OU Netherlands = focus on life-long learners
• Policy on OER – making materials available for free - consequences for
business model.
• Research (2 surveys) with life-long learners among a representative sample
of the Dutch population & OU NL students into preferences related to the
following 3 scenarios:
- 100% OER scenario – Split-Component Course Model.
- 10% scenario – follows All-Inclusive course model.
- Current scenario – All-Inclusive Course Model
The major conclusion was that the percentage of people inclined to take a
course and to enroll increases when the OER share grows. The full paper can
be accessed here: http://cambridge2012.org/
A business model approach for OER in Open Universities
Ben Janssen, Robert Schuwer and Fred Mulder. Open Universiteit (NL)

17. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Education Portal Academy: How to Earn the Lowest-Cost
College Credit: http://education-
portal.com/academy/index.html
Education Portal Academy students can watch courses for free, anytime,
anywhere, but they can also earn real, widely transferable college credit from
the College Board by passing any of the 33 subject specific CLEP exams.

18. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
MITx and edX: http://mitx.mit.edu/;http://www.edxonline.org/
•MITx = An online learning platform offering free online courses for anyone,
anywhere to earn certificates in distance coursework.
•edX = partnership between Harvard and MIT = an open source online learning
platform featuring courses designed specifically for the Internet.

19. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
FGV Online: http://www5.fgv.br/fgvonline/CursosGratuitos.aspx
• 2,5 million certificates printed since July 2008 by independent learners.
OpenCourseWare in the European HE contextHow to make use of its full
potential for virtual mobility
• The focus of the project will be the creation of preconditions for a strong
European OCW-framework. A stronger framework will also mean closer
cooperation between European institutes, which may result in mutual use of
material and even joint degrees. A better functioning OCW-system will
enhance quality and increase the usage of online courses and therefore
facilitate virtual mobility.
http://www.opencourseware.eu/

20. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Two Important Invitations
1. OCWC Global 2013 ConferenceDate: May 8-10, Bali, Indonesia.
OpenCourseWare Consortium Global Conference: opportunity to learn from
practitioners in the field and learn new ideas
More information will be available on the conference website and through our
communication channels (newsletter/announcements) in the upcoming months)
- http://conferences.ocwconsortium.org/ or email to
conference@ocwconsortium.org
2. Open Education Week
Open Education Week takes place online and in locally hosted events
around the world. The purpose of Open Education Week is to raise awareness
of the open education movement and its impact on teaching and learning
worldwide. Participation in all events and use of all resources is free an open to
anyone. For more information visit http://www.openeducationweek.org/ or
email openeducationwk@gmail.com

21. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
Activities of the OpenCourseWare Consortium are generously supported
by:
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Sustaining Members of the OCW Consortium:
The African Virtual University
China Open Resources for Education
Delft University of Technology
FundaçãoGetulio Vargas
Japan OpenCourseWare Consortium
Johns Hopkins Bloomburg School of Public Health
Korea OpenCourseWare Consortium
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Netease Information Technology Co.
Open Universiteit
Taiwan OpenCourseWare Consortium
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Tufts University
Universia
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
University of California, Irvine
University of Michigan
University of the Western Cape
And contributions of member organizations

22. advancing formal and informal learning through the
worldwide sharing and use of free, open, high-quality
education materials organized as courses.
www.ocwconsortium.org
feedback@ocwconsortium.org
igorlesko@ocwconsortium.org