Collaborating across borders: OER use and open educational practices within the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth Paper presented by Leigh-Anne Perryman and John Lesperance at OE Global 2015, Banff, Canada.

1. Collaborating across borders: OER use
and open educational practices within
the Virtual University for Small States
of the Commonwealth
Leigh-Anne Perryman, The Open University, UK
leigh.a.perryman@open.ac.uk @laperryman
John Lesperance, VUSSC/Commonwealth of Learning
jlesperance@col.org @COL4D
Presented at OE Global 2015 Conference
Banff, Canada, 21-25 April 2015

2. Intro to VUSSC
● Network of 32 small developing states
committed to collaboratively developing OER
● Co-ordinated by Commonwealth of Learning

3. Intro to VUSSC

4. ● Use of OERRH questions
● Comparison with OERRH
global dataset
● 20 follow-up Skype
interviews
Methods

5. The
sample
72% of
respondents
identified
English as
their first
spoken
language

6. Educators’ use of OER (1)
88%
66%
72%
90%
94%
56%
89%
77% 77%
97% 98%
74%
60%
42%
36%
66% 65%
37%
47%
22% 23%
51%
53%
20%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
OER used for
pedagogical
development
OER used to increase
educational inclusion
OER used as materials
for learners
OER used for subject-
related development
To enhance my
professional
development
To connect with
teachers with similar
interests
VUSSC Indian educators OpenLearn Saylor.org

7. Educators’ use of OER (2)
80%
86%
52%
87%
80%
41%
54%
56%
80%
76%
63%
78% 77%
57%
73%
51%
66%
61%
44%
63%
58%
41%
51%
30%
55% 56%
41%
60%
53%
39%
44%
36%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Broadened
coverage of the
curriculum
Use a broader
range of teaching
and learning
methods
More use of
culturally diverse
resources
More up-to-date
knowledge of
subject area
Reflecting more
on teaching
More frequently
comparing
teaching with that
of others
Using OER study
to develop my
teaching
Collaborate more
with colleagues
VUSSC Indian educators OpenLearn Saylor.org

8. Impact of OER on formal learners
100%
90% 91% 92%
90%
80%
91%
80%
46%
85%
79%
86%
62%
64%
72%
36%
65%
56%
67%
29%
58%58%
32%
50%
48% 48%
19%
41%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Increased
interest in the
subjects taught
Grades
improving
Gaining
confidence
Increased
independence
and self-reliance
Increased
experimentation
with new ways of
learning
Increased
collaboration with
peers
Being more likely
to complete my
course of study
VUSSC formal learners Indian formal learners OpenLearn-using formal learners Saylor.org-using formal learners

9. The BOCODOL case study

10. Challenges to OER use
Educators Formal
learners
Finding OER relevant to my context 87% 80%
Knowing where to find OER 77% 82%
Finding OER in my subject area 76% 82%
Technical problems 71% 80%
Insufficient time to find OER 73% 67%
Finding quality OER 70% 82%
No connections with OER-using
peers
62% 57%
Finding up-to-date OER 56% 73%

11. What next?
● Future development of VUSSC
● Future research: case studies; more analysis
against new model (Perryman & Seal, 2015)

12. A new model of OER engagement in
development contexts

13. Thank you for listening
Leigh-Anne Perryman, The Open University, UK
leigh.a.perryman@open.ac.uk @laperryman
John Lesperance, VUSSC/Commonwealth of Learning
jlesperance@col.org @COL4D