Earning formal academic credit through a citizen’s viral and OER learning What are the implications for mobile, hybrid and online learning? Ideas paper presented at: eLmL 2013, The Fifth International Conference on Mobile, Hybrid, and Online Learning, February 24th to March 1st, 2013, Nice, France.

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Earning formal academic credit through a citizen’s viral and OER learning
What are the implications for mobile, hybrid and online learning?
Ideas paper presented at:
eLmL 2013, The Fifth International Conference on Mobile, Hybrid, and Online Learning, February 24th to March
1st, 2013, Nice, France.
See http://www.slideshare.net/MerilynChilds/e-lml1 for the accompanying ppt. presentation.
Merilyn Childs Regine Wagner
Flexible Learning Institute Flexible Learning Institute
Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University
Albury, Australia Albury, Australia
mchilds@csu.edu.au rwagner@csu.edu.au
Abstract— The authors offer two simple propositions that participation. Some of this learning may occur within formal
form the basis for a “speculative turn” concerning learning in learning spaces, whether institutional or not. Sense making
Higher Education in a digital age. The current growth of of viral learning is what takes place when recognition and
mobile, hybrid and online learning spaces within Higher credit processes are offered to citizens when they enter
Education may provide access to new formal learning formal university studies.
opportunities – but will fall short of their disruptive possibilities
if substantial inroads are not made into the transformation of
In this ideas paper we use the term “citizen” instead of
the relationship between a citizens’ learning; and an the word “student” to generate a changed view of the person
institution’s credentialing policies and practices. doing the learning. Others have referred to such persons as
Keywords- viral learning; user-generated content; “OER learners” (for example, the OEUu c2011). “Student”
Recognition of Prior Learning; disruptive technologies; positions a citizen as an enrolled member of an institution,
assessment in Higher Education; mobile learning, OER practices and we want to challenge this view. Our focus is on citizens’
embedded, lived experiences across time, place and space.
I. INTRODUCTION There has long been discussion about “informal learning” in
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the adult education field. Increasingly, the quality and
“Viral learning” is the term given by the authors to availability of free, online learning opportunities has
learning that has been achieved through student-directed exponentially improved, as has access to them. Such access
learning in “viral learning spaces” (Childs & Wagner 2012). is unrecognizable when compared to the very limited access
In our own work, we have thought about education at the previously enjoyed by workers during the early 20th century
nexus of work and learning, through the lens of RPL e.g. through the Workers Education Association (WEA) (see
(Recognition of Prior Learning) (Childs, Wagner & Ingham Dymock 2001).
2002) and workbased learning (Wagner, Childs & Despite broad transformational changes to citizens’
Houlbrook 2001, Wagner, Childs & Constable 2004, Wagner learning opportunities, institutional change in Australia has
& Childs 2006). We now transcend this nexus by thinking been slow. Ways of seeing “the student” and “learning”
about user-generated, viral learning more generally. remain resistant to change. Citizens entering university
Viral learning 2 is user-generated, and by adopting this undergraduate studies are often seen to be pre-service, or as
term we advocate a view of learning from a citizen’s children leaving high school. The statistics don’t support this
perspective. Viral learning is partially hypertextual, is self- view. User-generated learning (“informal learning”,
perpetuating, distributed and networked, and is learning “experiential learning” or “personal learning”) has not yet
encountered through life, work, formal studies and gained a strong foothold in learning design, curriculum or
assessment practices. The research consistently indicates that
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recognition of prior learning is poor (Pitman 2012). Open
“Viral learning” builds on Illich’s (1971) notion of “peer educational practices (Ehlers 2011) that value user-generated
matching networks” and “learning webs”. learning remain marginal and distant from the core business
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“Viral learning” is not a substitute for “virtual learning” – the
of learning, teaching and assessment. The idea that non-
former is learning achieved by a citizen; the latter is a mode of
learning. Viral learning occurs through a citizen’s agency across institutional learning is of less value than institutional
time and space, distributed learning spaces (Oblinger, 2006) and learning is out-of-place in a digital age characterized by
utilizing resources such as OERs. personal, hybrid and mobile learning.

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How can change be fostered? National policy has not  Do mobile, hybrid and online learning practices
been successful; therefore we offer two propositions to sustain, or rethink traditional university
advance thinking. According to philosophers Bryant et al practices and relationships?
(2011, p.433), a “speculative turn” presents itself through  Do mobile, hybrid and online learning practices
“daring speculations about the nature of reality itself”. In this enable OER practices?
ideas paper, we want to propose the idea that Higher  Do mobile, hybrid and online learning practices
Education is amidst a “speculative turn” in Higher Education enable citizen’s to access formal credit for user-
via two propositions: generated, viral learning?
 Proposition I- Quality learning can and will From the point of view of our two propositions, mobile,
happen through the planned and accidental hybrid and online learning are tools used by a citizen to
agency of citizens who may at some time create a nexus between their learning; and an institution’s
become students. learning outcomes, assessments and credentials. The recently
 Proposition II - The relationships that are established Open Education Resources University’s (OERu),
possible between a citizen’s learning and commitment to “creating flexible pathways for OER learners
universities can be substantially rethought as the to gain formal academic credit” (c2011), provides an
basis for transformational change. example of new institutional thinking that enables, through
outreach, mobility, online learning and flexibility,
II. THE SPECULATIVE TURN recognition and assessment, a citizen’s complex life and
Is this speculative turn, as defined by the two learning journeys.
propositions, new? At other moments in history the role and
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