This document discusses open education, defining it as education characterized by free and open access to digital educational resources, tools, and communities to learn, teach, and advance knowledge collaboratively. Open education goes beyond traditional formal education by including non-institutional learners, practitioners, and communities. It is networked, participatory, collaborative, transparent, and inclusive. Open education as a service (OEaaS) provides these open educational opportunities along with optional support services and formal assessment/certification for a fee. OEaaS creates business opportunities for the learning industry around hosting, development, assessment, and other services.

1. Open Education
A brief introduction
By: Dr. Andreas Meiszner & Ruediger Glott, United Nations University UNU-MERIT – The Netherlands. Elmar Husmann, ELIG –
European Learning Industry Group
Workshop on “The Why and How of Open Education: Service Concepts and Provider Perspectives”
15th MindTrek Conference and the International Academic Conference | 30 of September, Tampere – Finnland

3. Impressions from our first OE workshop @OKCon 2011

4. OE perhaps draws on traditional formal and class based
(Higher) Education
Though traditional HE is frequently
NOT Open Education

5. It adds openness to the different elements of traditional
formal (Higher) Education:
 ‘Open Content’
 ‘Open Degrees’
 ‘Open Assessment’
 ‘Open Learning’
 ‘Open Tutoring’
 ‘Open Technology’
 ‘Open Communities’
 …

6. So why not skipping the ‘Open’ instead of repeating it over
and over again?
Because it appears to be more than a
filler and to mirror an attitude,
behaviour, concept or desirable state.
…
<<< Though be aware of the risk of
fetishization of the word ‘Open’, and of
diluting its meaning to something like
‘Open Everything’. >>>

7. • How we define Open Education depends on how we define Education.
• In many societies Education equals to obtaining Formal Degrees or
Certifications.
• If Formal Degrees or Certifications are indeed the relevant criterion that
defines Education, then Open Education pretty much the same then Closed
traditional formal education as we know it – except that it is not “Closed”,
but “Open”.
• Luckily there are more shades then “black” and “white”, and the same
likely holds valid for Education.

8. OE in a nutshell – a quick description
Open Education is characterized by “the free and open access to, the usage
of and the right to modify and re-use digital educational resources and digital
educational tools, and the free and open access to the related (virtual)
educational communities, in order to learn, teach, exchange or advance
knowledge in a collaborative and interactive way”.
In contrast to traditional education, beneficiaries of Open Education might
include the following: institutional students and educators across institutions;
free learners outside of formal education; practitioners and enterprises as
producers, consumers or collaborators; and established virtual communities
of practice.

9. OE beyond the openness aspect
Further OE key characteristics include:
 Extense use of new communication technologies
 Strong digital component
 Networked
 Participatory & Collaborative
 Transparent & Inclusive

10. From OE to Open Education Services – an institution/learner
perspective
‘Open Education as a Service’ (OEaaS) is an ‘on-demand’ concept at which
services are provided around freely available educational offers, such as
courses and programmes with basic support provision. Available services
might include customizable support options, formal assessment and
certification possibilities, or the access to physical infrastructures. OEaaS is
therefore close to a ‘Freemium business model’ at which basic products or
services are available free of charge, while charging a premium for advanced
features, functionality, or related products and services.

11. From OE to Open Education Services – an industry/
institution perspective
From an industry/institution perspective ‘Open Education as a
Service’ (OEaaS) provides business opportunities for the learning industry,
such as:
• Training, course & programme development,
• Hosting & maintenance
• Online assessment and certification systems
• Online spaces to provide tutoring
• Billing systems
• Physical ID verification & assessment control
• …

13. Thank you for your attention!
Elmar Husmann
ELIG – European Learning Industry Group
…
Dr. Andreas Meiszner,
United Nations University
UNU-MERIT
meiszner@merit.unu.edu