NUS rektorsseminarium vid Helsingfors universitet, Finland 1 March 2013 Open Educational Resources and ICT-supported learning: Building up momentum for harvestingthe benefits from OER - What to think about at a national and Nordic level.

1. DET NORDISKA UNIVERSITETSSAMARBETET
Nordic University Association (NUS)
Open Educational Resources and ICT-
supported learning:
Building up momentum for harvesting
the benefits from OER - What to think about at a national and Nordic level
NUS rektorsseminarium vid Helsingfors
universitet, Finland
1 March 2013
Gard Titlestad
Secretary General
ICDE

2. Relevance of benefits of OER
Hylén, J. et al. (2012): OECDs “Open Educational Resources: Analysis of Responses to the OECD

3. Expectations to OER
“OERs have the potential to solve
the global education crisis and
contribute to sustainable economic
growth”
Sir John Daniel, former CEO for Commonwealth
of Learning and David Killion, US ambassador to
UNESCO said in Guardian in July 2012

4. From the UNESCO OER
Declaration
• Foster awareness and use of OER
• Encourage the development and adaptation of
OER in a variety of languages and cultural
contexts
• Encourage the open licensing of educational
materials produced with public funds.

5. EU & Norden
• Two ministerial meetings the last three
months:
– Informal: Ministerial Conference "Opening up education through
technologies: Towards a more systemic use for a smart, social and
sustainable growth in Europe” Oslo, Norway on 9-11 December 2012.
• All Nordic ministers represented
– Formal: 3221st Council meeting, Education, Youth, Culture and Sport,
Brussels, 15 February 2013.
• All thre Nordic EU-members represented by:Denmark: Ms Christine ANTORINI
Minister for Children and Education. Finland: Mr Jukka GUSTAFSSON Minister for
Education and Science. Sweden: Mr Jan BJÖRKLUND Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister for Education

6. Summary from the
meeting
• Also in the context of the Annual Growth Survey
the Council adopted conclusions on investing in
education and training as a response to the
Commission communication "Rethinking
Education".
• Member states are in particular invited to:
– focus vocational education and training on potential
growth areas or areas with skills shortages;
– reduce the number of low-skilled adults through
access to adult training and lifelong learning; and
– optimise ICT-supported learning and access to open
educational resources.

7. Formal conclusions:
INVITES THE MEMBER STATES, WITH
DUE REGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLE
OF SUBSIDIARITY, TO
• g. optimising ICT-supported learning and access to high quality
Open Educational Resources (OERs), for instance by supporting ICT-
based teaching and assessment practices, by promoting the
transparency of rights and obligations of users and producers of
digitised content, and by supporting education and training
institutions in adapting to the emergence of OERs, with particular
regard to quality assurance and monitoring;
• NOTES THE COMMISSION'S INTENTION TO
• 5. In coordination with any initiatives by the Member States in this
area, launch a new initiative on "Opening up Education", analysing
the impact of providing EU support to increase access to and use of
quality-assured Open Educational Resources and ICT.

8. Issues for Nordic HEI and
Governments – OER and ICT-
supported learning
• Incentives • Language and culture
• Quality in HE issues
• Copyright • Research
• Overview and easy access • Policy studies
• Cost recovery • Development, pilot
• Technology projects
recommendations • Innovation, new business
• Student Services models
• Methodologies,
competencies, increased
understanding

10. Nordic co-operation?
NUS - Nordic Council of
Ministers - NCM
• Nordic cooperation together with NCM can
– act as an umbrella for progress on selected key issues
– offer intruments ad important actors that can
contribute: Nordplus, Nodunet, NordForsk, Nordic
eInfrastructure, Nordic Innovation
– involve ministers through meetings
– facilitate networks and knowledge exchange and
others
– be an arena for the particular Nordic interests,
defining agendas, policy issues, cultural and language
issues

11. Conclusions
• All universities and HEI should have OER and
ICT-supported learning as a part of their
strategy.
• Key issues for HEI and governments should be
developed in dialogue between them.
• Nordic formal (and informal) co-operation can
be used, the initiative has to come from the
Rectors.

12. Thank you!
titlestad@icde.org
www.icde.org