Presentation given at the Higher Education Academy Conference, 4 July 2012, with Alejandro Armellini, my 'reality checker' on the TOUCANS project.

1. UK Higher Education Institutions
and the OER university:
Snog, Marry, Avoid?
Gabi Witthaus and Alejandro Armellini.
HEA Conference, 3-4 July 2012.

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00t952v

3. Introduction
Testing the OER
university
Concept: a
National Study
www.le.ac.uk/toucans
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/7188563020/

4. Overview
• Part 1: Background – the OER university;
• Part 2: TOUCANS research;
• Part 3: Findings: UK HEI views on the OERu
concept.

5. Part 1:
Background – the OER university

6. A traditional university education
Image by ttarasiuk

7. OERs provide access to content…

8. But not to the
sweet taste of success.
Image by Ralph Daily

9. 100 million adults
eligible for university
who can’t afford it
(UNESCO)
Image by James Cridland

10. The OER
university
(OERu)
concept
http://wikieducator.org/File:OER-University-concept.png

11. OERu partners are all accredited by
national accrediting bodies
http://wikieducator.org/Oeru

12. Cost to learner:
Less than 25% of usual fees
Cost to institution:
OERu - less than 0.5% of their total offerings

13. Can the OERu make this possible?
Photo by Dallas Vegan

14. Part 2:
TOUCANS research

15. Data Collection
• Interviews with OERu network partner
members (14)
• Interviews with UK HEI thought leaders (11)
• Survey among UK HEIs (42 respondents)

16. Interviews with thought leaders (11)
• Open University (UK)
• University of Leicester
• University of Salford
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Nottingham
• University of Derby
• JISC

17. The UK HEI interviewees
• Leicester: Christine Fyfe (PVC), Dave Hall (Registrar),
Prof. Grainne Conole (Director, BDRA)
• OU: Andrew Law (Dir, Open Media), Jonathan Darby
(Dir, HE Shared Solutions)
• Salford: Prof. Martin Hall (VC)
• Edinburgh: Prof. Jeff Haywood (CIO)
• Nottingham: Prof. Wyn Morgan (Dir, Teaching &
Learning)
• JISC (personal capacity): Amber Thomas and David
Kernohan
• Derby: Julie Stone (Head, University of Derby Online)

18. The survey
Bournemouth University University of Bath,
Coventry University University of Cambridge
De Montfort University University of Huddersfield,
Institute of Education University of Hull,
King's College London University of Leeds,
Leeds Met University (2) University of Leicester (5)
Loughborough University University of Manchester
Middlesex University University of Nottingham (2)
Newcastle University University of Oxford
Open University (4) University of Southampton
Southampton Solent University of Surrey
University Plus eight others

19. The survey respondents (N=42)

20. Part 3: Findings.
UK HEI views on the OER university

21. Is your institution in the OERu network?

22. Response
theme (1)
Photo by rightee on flickr

24. Response theme
(2)
Image by Jans Canon on Flickr

26. Key concerns
• Student support
• Quality
• Assessment & credibility
• True cost
• Credit transfer difficulty
• Devaluation of qualifications
… volunteers are clearly NOT seen as the answer

27. Learner support?
Help!!!!!
Photo by Erik Charlton

28. Volunteers not seen as the answer
Photo by MisterJamie

30. Assessment and credibility?
Image by flippinyank

31. True cost?

32. Credit
transfer
difficulty?

33. Perceived devaluation of qualifications
Image by IvanWalsh.com

34. Make up your mind!
• Many lukewarm (very English) responses, e.g.:
– ‘sitting on the fence’;
– ‘we should not ignore it’
… which do not suggest snogging, never mind
marrying the OERu!

35. Institutional interests
What do we need to do to enhance our position
if the OERu idea does take off? Join it, perhaps?

36. The verdict: snog, marry, avoid?
Photo by Pommekiwi1 on flickr

37. Snog, marry or avoid the OERu?
In June, 2012…
•No evidence for ‘marry’
•Limited evidence for ‘snog’, often skewed by
respondents’ passion (rather than the
institutions’ policy)
•Some evidence for ‘flirt’ (at arm’s length)
•Overwhelming evidence for ‘avoid’

38. With many thanks to…
• Prof. Patrick McAndrew – Gabi’s SCORE mentor at the
Open University.
• Dr Angela Murphy (USQ) - co-creator of the TOUCANS
survey instrument.
• Colleagues who trialled early versions of the survey – Prof.
David Hawkridge, Dr Palitha Edirisingha, Dr Paul Rudman,
Dr Ming Nie, Brenda Padilla, Ali Ewing.
• Dr Vivien Rolfe, Fred Garnet, Prof. Andy Lane, Prof.
Graham Gibbs, Terese Bird and Stephen Walker, who
responded to the survey (and agreed to be attributed for
their contributions).
• Wayne Mackintosh of the OER Foundation, who facilitated
communication between the OERu community and me
around the research.

39. To continue the conversation:
www.toucansproject.wordpress.com
Photo by Tim Sträter on flickr