The global perspective of OER Fred Mulder Emeritus UNESCO/ICDE Chair in OER at OUNL Former Rector OUNL 2000 – 2010 currently … Visiting Professor at OU UK 1 Meeting of UNESCO Chairs ‘Perspectives of OER at Universities’ Aachen, 8-9 October 2015

2 Brand-new: under UNESCO Patronage ‘The Mind of the Universe’ GO …

The initiation … VPRO (Dutch broadcasting Company) preparing for an open source TV series exploring the frontiers of knowledge 10 episodes hosted by Robbert Dijkgraaf (former President Royal NL Academy of Arts and Sciences; currently Director including in each episode different eminent scholars from diverse parts of the world The episodes: the explorer, maker, dreamer, thinker, conqueror, seducer, creator, seeer, sorcerer, connector To be broadcasted by Jan. 2017, funding for NL secured 3

Scaling up, widening, deepening, … globalizing the initiative to variations of the TV program for other countries / regions (use another language, replace the host, include other video clips, add other episodes, …) multiplying the TV content with an expanding open digital content base generated by a community of engaged and competent contributors (Global North and Global South) providing open and active learning experiences (LEX) of great diversity through all available content (offering multiple small or big ‘courses’: different target groups, themes, levels, languages; and built on the body of thought of a wide range of prominent researchers 4

Why and How? It is a truly global initiative in the ‘World of Open’: the message on the clear benefits for learners and societies should be experienced by a large worldwide audience It will provide access for lots of people, wheresoever and whosoever, interested in what science and technology can offer for the Global North and the Global South (in terms of perspectives, solutions, and dilemmas) It will utilize a global collaboration between eminent scholars and other academics, creative TV, video, and graphic experts, educational specialists, and others to become infused, and will reach a worldwide community engaged as consumers or as producers 5

Way forward … Generating a growing Network of People & Content on the principles of Sharing & Openness Engaging eminent Scholars from the Globe Partnering with relevant (global) Organizations (i) involving their Expertise & Networks or (ii) providing Financial Support or (iii) in a role of co-Developer 6

Global OER movement: looking back 7

OER global drivers and milestones Initiator MIT: large-scale innovation OpenCourseWare (OCW) Initiative ( ) Advocate UNESCO: global awareness Since Paris (2002) / Launching the term OER: ‘Digitised materials offered freely and openly for educators, students and self-learners to use and re-use for teaching, learning and research’ Supporter Hewlett Foundation: strategic effort Worldwide: financial and advice Community OCWC / OEC: start in 2005 MIT initiator, 200+ HE Institutions as members, +15 associations, and +50 other organizations 8

OER global drivers and milestones Evaluator OECD: seeking evidence / impact 2007: ‘Giving Knowledge for Free’ 2012: Survey among membership on OER policy 2015: New book ‘OER: a Catalyst for Innovation’ Cape Town Open Education Declaration (2007) goes beyond OER, < 3000 signatories (most individuals) Disruptor MOOCs: start in 2011 in the US expanded worldwide, sensational push (not really open) Paris OER Declaration (2012) from UNESCO & OER Congress, 10 recommendations Explorer European Commission: policy & funding 2013: Launch ‘Opening up Education’ Initiative 9

National Policies and Strategies for OER 10

Emerging National Policies … 2007 –..... / India NKC / Report to the Nation 2007: Embracing OER Launch of a ‘National E-content and Curriculum Initiative’ Good intentions for a major effort, but … 2009 – 2013 / The Netherlands (€ 8,0 million) National Wikiwijs Program (OUNL & Kennisnet leading) Mainstreaming OER in all educational sectors, but … 2011 – 2014 / USA ($ 2,0 billion) US Dept. of Labor and Dept. of Education run a 4-year Program to create OER (CC BY licenced) for Community Colleges and Career Training, but … 11

And … Other countries promote OER through: > specific measures < > provision for collaboration < > financial support < or are considering a national approach to OER e.g. Brazil, Canada (BC and Alberta), China, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mongolia, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, Vietnam How about GERMANY? 12

UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Programme ICT in Education, Science and Culture Section Knowledge Societies Division Communication and Information (CI) Sector UNESCO, Paris, France

What is the UNESCO OER Programme 1. Paris OER Declaration Paris OER Declaration 2. OER Platform OER Platform 3. OER Policy Guidelines OER Policy Guidelines 4. OER Community on the WSIS PlatformWSIS Platform 5. OER Research Chairs: Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, Slovenia, Mexico with a Joint Program of ActionNetherlandsCanada 6. Publications Publications 7. Partnerships: Commonwealth of Learning (COL) World OER Conference, Paris, June 2012World OER Conference 9. Large projects, e.g. Hewlett OER Project (2013 – 2014)Hewlett OER Project

UNESCO OER Publications Available in: -English -French -Spanish -Russian -Portuguese -Vietnamese Coming soon: -Arabic -German!!!

The World OER Congress?  20 – 22 June, 2012  UNESCO HQ, Paris 3 Objectives  Release the Paris OER Declaration  Showcase the world’s best OER especially from developing countries  Celebrate the 10th anniversary of 2002 UNESCO Forum2002 UNESCO Forum  6 worldwide regional Forums (Anglophone Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America, Asia-Pacific, Arab States)AfricaLatin America  400+ representatives from: Governments, civil society, academia

10 Articles of the Paris OER Declaration a) Foster awareness and use of OER b) Facilitate enabling environments for use of ICT c) Reinforce the development of strategies and policies on OER. d) Promote the understanding and use of open licensing frameworks e) Support capacity building for the sustainable development of quality learning materials f) Foster strategic alliances for OER g) Encourage the development and adaptation of OER in a variety of languages and cultural contexts h) Encourage research on OER i) Facilitate finding, retrieving and sharing of OER j) Encourage the open licensing of educational materials produced with public funds

Policy : Support for national OER policies and strategies Teacher Training: capacity building to develop and use OER and effective use of ICT in Education. Awareness : raising on the importance of OER and related technical requirements Hewlett ProjectHewlett Project: Implementing the Paris OER Declaration Abel Abel, Fenchun (ED) Zeynep 2013 – 2014 $400,000

‘The Paris OER Declaration Follow-up’ Project  Time Frame:  Funding :Hewlett FoundationHewlett Foundation  Target Countries: Indonesia, Kenya, OmanOman Bahrain, Vietnam, Senegal, Ghana, NigeriaNigeria

Miscellaneous / Additional Remarks  EC funded Project ‘Globalizing OpenupEd’, trying to inspire Open Universities in Africa and Asia to become involved in MOOCs based on OER in their own style (the NOUN case)  The Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN) connecting and supporting PhD researchers and their supervisors, an initiative of the Dutch UNESCO Chair in OER, funded by the EC and the Hewlett Foundation (now at the OU UK)  Preparing for a formal OER Recommendation? The 5 th anniversary of the 2012 Paris OER Declaration too early …  And don’t forget ‘The Mind of the Universe - an entry into the World of Open’

Contact Abel Caine هابيل قابيل Programme Specialist for Open Solutions (OER) Knowledge Societies Division Communication and Information (CI) Sector UNESCO This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License 7, place de Fontenoy Paris, France Phone: +33 (0) Twitter:

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