An exploration of the issues around OER using granularity as a lens. Presented at Open Ed 2010

1. A non-linear exploration of the
influence of granularity on
OER reuse
Martin Weller

2. OER Roulette!

4. My OER experience
OpenLearn
Blog
Sidecap

5. Granularity
Big and Little OER

6. Big Little
Institutional Individual
high reputation cheap
good teaching quality, web (2) native
little reversioning
required
easily remixed and
reused
expensive low production quality
often not web native reputation ‘buyer
beware’
reuse limited distributed

7. My hypothesis
Granularity is a lens through which we can
explore many of the issues around open
content

8. Sustainability
Aggregation
Messages
Portals
Context
Working
Time
Projects
Content
Status
Questions

9. Models of OER sustainability
Centralised Team (MIT) Teaching Duty (USU) Distributed dev (Rice)
(decentralisation)
(cost)
(Wiley)

10. Research papers
Lectures/Teaching content
Conferences Data
Code
IdeasDebate
Higher Education as long tail production engine

11. Should we just stop worrying about
sustainability and embrace little OER?

12. Aggregation and Adaptation
(McAndrew et al 2009):
“In relation to repurposing, initially it was thought:
1. that it was not anyone’s current role to remix and reuse;
2. the content provided on the site was of high quality and
so discouraged alteration;
3. there were few examples showing the method and value
of remixing;
4. the use of unfamiliar formats (such as XML) meant that
users were uncertain how to proceed.”

14. Little OER tends to
• not be explicit learning content – not generated with the
aim of being used for learning;
• not specify the learning that will occur
• be easily aggregated into a pathway or framework which
is created by the educator.

15. The Lamb formula

16. Do you get different types of learning from
aggregation and adaptation?

17. Implicit Message

18. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6jt5bqMqY0 ]

19. When are these different messages
appropriate in learning?

20. Portals and Sites
[http://ocw.mit.edu]

21. [http://slideshare.net]

22. Specific Project Site Third party site
Advantages Greater brand link Greater traffic
Link through to courses Cheaper
Control Greater serendipity
Ability to conduct research Expertise in social software development
Disadvantages Requires specialist team Can lose service
Requires updating No control eg over downtimes
Lower traffic Loss of ownership of data
More expensive Other non-educational content also
present

23. Should we stop building our own OER sites?

24. Context
“No amount of creativity in the making of an artefact will
compensate for the absence of a framework within which
to disseminate it. My Facebook postings (of links to my 2
videos) received brief comments from 3 of my 67
‘friends’. Nothing on Twitter or Youtube. This
demotivated me to continue investing the time. If I’d had,
say, a teaching forum with students working on
intercultural semiotics, I’d have had more of an impact”

26. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdAkKKxOvu4 ]

27. Can educational content survive outside of
an educational context?

28. New ways of working
[http://www.slideshare.net/mweller/future-of-education-3475415 ]

29. [http://www.darcynorman.net/2009/11/24/how-do-you-connect-to-people-online-the-video/

30. • Distributed
• Free
• Remix/Adapt
• Multi-media
• = New academic
skills?

31. We’ve only just begun – what other ways of
working does open content allow?

32. Time
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyoNHIl-QLQ ]

33. Big OER takes time to produce and ‘scrub’
But can be used as is
= Potential big payoff
Little OER is quick to produce
Takes time to aggregate
= Small payoff per item

34. Can we quantify these pay-offs?

35. Project
Organisations understand projects,
they have responsibility, budget,
objectives.

36. Pic: Patrick McAndrew
Projects isolate practice

37. Bottom up/frictionless
approach doesn’t fit
this model

38. Can an unproject approach work (particularly
in an era of cutbacks)?

39. Content
Content isn’t everything
But that doesn’t mean it’s nothing

41. Quick poll
1. Blogs/wikis
2. Quizzes
3. Screencasting
4. Podcasting

42. When is the personal element appropriate?

43. Status

44. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYy7pO_RFVM ]

45. What is the cultural/social/professional
context for reuse?

46. Questions
Should we just stop worrying about sustainability and embrace little
OER?
What is the cultural/social/professional context for reuse?
When is the personal element appropriate?
Can an unproject approach work (particularly in an era of cutbacks)?
Do you get different types of learning from aggregation and adaptation?
Can we quantify these pay-offs?
Can educational content survive outside of an educational context?
We’ve only just begun – what other ways of working does open content
allow?
When are these different messages appropriate in learning?
Should we stop building our own OER sites?