Composed by Fred Mulder June 4, 2007 Conclusions & recommendations SCOP2007

Conclusions ­Apply openness in its broadest sense & connect the ODL universities characteristics to the OER concept ­Open is not equal to free ­Keep OER away from a fundamentalist approach or a dogmatic view ­We observe a large diversity in many respects ­In this diversity the OER power is to be used diverse regarding e.g. target groups, goals/ambitions, development state, national systems, scale/scope, content portion

Conclusions 2 ­Because of the observed diversity international prioritization is difficult, bring this back to institutional and at most national level ­At the international level it is most worthwhile to exchange strategies, policies, best practices, expertise… ­“Knowledge is a public good” requires public funding

Conclusions 3 ­Sustainability is not for granted and depends on a change in funding schemes (change in weights of components or additional money) ­It is necessary to explore Public-Private interactions, collaborations and even alliences

Recommendations for ICDE ­Explore the primary question: “How can OER contribute to respond to the ‘Education for all’ UNESCO policy, capacity building, widening participation and access?” ­And the secondary question: “What role can be attributed to OER in developing or strengthening a knowledge-based society?” ­We should not address all kinds of general OER issues (that is being done by many others already), but rather concentrate on the self-study and learner-centred approach in OER materials, in other words the ICDE flavour in OER

Recommendations for ICDE 2 ­Make a deeper analysis of the diversity regarding OER, the underlying assumptions or grounds and the required variety in actions (e.g. collaboration ICDE and UNESCO) ­Make practical reports that relate to ODL about Quality Assurance, sustainability, adaptation to language/culture, content & services (e.g. assessment), IPR/Copyright???, based on case studies that can be made available (UK-OU, OU-NL, E-xcellence/EADTU, also from other continents)

Recommendations for ICDE 3 ­Make a list of arguments that you can expect from the opposition and formulate responses ­Develop handbooks for OER including training schemes ­We can lend from a variety of rich sources: UNESCO, Hewlett Foundation, OECD, Open Courseware Consortium, EADTU, …

Recommendations for ICDE 4 ­Contribute to awareness raising ­Organize mechanisms for: exchange strategies, policies, best practices, expertise ­Exploit the ICDE website as a means for information exchange and discussion (should be relevant for faculty members) ­Mobilize political resonance and media exposure using ICDE as a brand ­Joint collaboration with other organizations (UNESCO, EADTU, Hewlett Foundation, OCW Consortium, COL)

Working agenda ­TF meeting this afternoon as a first relection and prioritization of the outcome of SCOP2007 ­Generate activities by experts from ICDE members ­In agreement with the new ICDE Exucitve Committee