1. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
THE PERVADING NOTION OF OER AS A NETWORKED
CONCEPT TO FACILITATE COOPERATION AND TEAM-
BASED DEVELOPMENT
M. Deimann; FernUniversität in Hagen (GERMANY)
C.A. van Dorp; EADTU (NETHERLANDS)
A. Pollini; International Telematic University Uninettuno (ITALY)
Department of Instructional Technology & Media

3. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Open Educational Resources
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Free access to open content; provided free of charge
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Content is liberally licensed for re-use in educational activities;
free from restrictions to modify, combine and repurpose
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For educational systems/tools software is used for which the
source code is available
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Currently Second Generation of Projects such as “Open
Educational Resources in Higher Education (OER HE)” with
EADTU as Coordinator
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Goal: To extend the achievements on OER as initially launched
under the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Grants
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Work package on Team-Based Development
04.07.11 Department of Instructional Technology & Media

4. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Challenges of OER
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Little awareness of the idea of OER in Germany (Zauchner et al.,
2008)
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Little reputation of adopting OER for teachers (Angster &
Uphoff, 2009)
However, these are rather assumptions which are not based
upon empirical data
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On the other side, there are surveys (OECD: Giving knowledge
for free, 2007) that revealed different challenges
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However, the focus was on the macro-level not on the
individual
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Therefore, a study was conducted to focus on the micro-level in
German-speaking countries
04.07.11 Department of Instructional Technology & Media

5. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Delphi-Study
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Criteria for selecting experts
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Documented experiences with OER (traceable)
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Worked with OER practically and/or scientifically
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Different backgrounds (e.g. sociology, computer science)
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Panel of 12 Experts from German-speaking countries with an
average experiences of ten years with E-Learning
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Two rounds:
(1) Qualitative interviews discussing six theses on OER
(2) Quantitative survey with questions extracted from the interviews
04.07.11 Department of Instructional Technology & Media

6. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Results
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Definition and perception of OER is elaborated and differentiates
between distinct aspects
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OER is perceived as a buzz-word; however it has not yet been
incorporated into Higher Education (Paradox)
Hurdle Example N
Cultural Academic teaching not based on sharing; “Not invented 10
here”; strong focus on research at the expanse of teaching
OER-specific Low degree of awareness; missing initiatives (as opposed to 8
Open Access); too little OER materials
Legal Uncertainty: What can I use? How can I use it? 4
Technical Insufficient usability of OER; search engine for OER is missing 4
04.07.11 Department of Instructional Technology & Media

7. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Case Studies of Team-approaches in OER
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Humanities Network
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One of the longest established and most active networks in
the Humanities
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Share understanding of open and distance learning
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New approach: complementary course production
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Theme-oriented rather than team-based
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MedNet
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Promotes harmonisation of Euro Mediterranean education
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OER recently included in the strategic development plan
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Hierarchical, top-down, approach

8. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Expert interviews
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How can OER be promoted in European Higher Education?
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Experts coming from US, UK, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland,
Germany
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Interviews conducted between January and March 2011
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Some Results:
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Commercial effect: link OER with more commercial products
of the organisation (e.g. educational or training courses)
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Network effect: gradually explore and elaborate functional
networks for OER design, development, and delivery
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Cooperation effect: gain access to other teams and
institutions to co-produce OER

9. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Recommendations
I. Establish a common knowledge base (team related aspects and
OER)
e.g., ensure mutual benefits for all stakeholders by setting
clear goals for the engagement with OER
II. Set shared quality criteria for OER (based on a theoretical
framework)
III. Propose a team approach by utilizing a blended approach
IV. Definition of logical and pedagogical infrastructures for OER
V. Develop strategies to promote OER
e.g. stress mutual gains; build social capital

10. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Summary and Discussion
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OER as a powerful innovation with increasing impact on
Higher Education
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Despite of the euphoria for the key principles, OER still has
to tackle major challenges
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This requires a solid empirical data base (mostly qualitative
to explore the dynamic field)
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New focus on team work as an important form of
academic cooperation
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Recommendations to insprire teams

11. Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences
Thank you very much for your attention!
04.07.11 Department of Instructional Technology & Media