This document summarizes a systematic review of theses from researchers in the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN). The GO-GN aims to raise the profile of open education research and support PhD students conducting research in this area. The review analyzed 50 theses from 14 countries across 10 categories related to open education, including project case studies, technical specifications, OER as a subject, policy, practitioners, developing nations, MOOCs, pedagogy, and open data/practice/access. The goal was to better understand the emerging field of open education research.

1. Researching Open Education: A Systematic
Review of GO-GN Theses
Bea de los Arcos, Martin Weller, Rob Farrow, Beck Pitt
@GOGN_OER

2. Global
OER
Graduate
Network
Photo CC BY 2.0, Mike Beauregard https://flic.kr/p/eVKoh5

3. 50 PhD researchers in 14 countries
8 alumni
CC BY 4.0, Open Education Consortium http://www.oeconsortium.org/at-a-glance/global-oer-graduate-network/

4. To raise the profile of research into open education
To support those conducting PhD research in this area
To develop openness as a process of research
Aims

5. PhotosCCBY2.0GO-GNhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/go-gn/

7. @GOGN_OER #GO_GN

9. Photo CC BY 2.0 Alan Levine, https://flic.kr/p/dtBSgg

10. What is Open Research?
“Open research is the process of conducting and sharing research in which a
selection of research proposals, work-process documents, literature reviews,
methodologies, research instruments, analytical frameworks, findings and/or
data are intentionally shared on publically-accessible platforms in order for
others to freely access, use, modify, and share them subject to measures that
preserve ethical practice and legal provenance.”
(Hodgkinson-Williams & King, 2015:5)

11. researching
open education

12. Categories (1)
Project case study – on findings of a particular case study, or
implementation of a project.
Technical – focus on the technical specification of a particular project i.e. an
OER repository.
OER as subject – focus on OER field itself, nature of openness, direction for
OER, suggestions for adoption, etc.
Research with impact data – evaluation of the impact of OER
implementation, using educational research methodology such as control
groups, pre and post test, etc.
Policy - on existing OER policies, the need for policy or standardized
approaches, national frameworks, etc.
Martin Weller, Different Aspects of the Emerging OER Discipline http://www.slideshare.net/mweller/emerging-oer-discipline

13. Categories (2)
Practitioner – use of OER by practitioners in a particular context, i.e.
teachers or librarians.
OER in developing nations – use of OER in the context of developing
nations i.e. TESSA.
MOOCs – an emerging field of its own, or MOOCs interpreted as OER and
reclassified under other categories.
Pedagogy – on the possible impact of OER on pedagogy, or as a vehicle for
change in teaching practice.
Open data/practice/access – an intersection with other aspects of open
practice that have varying degrees of relevance to the OER community.
Martin Weller, Different Aspects of the Emerging OER Discipline http://www.slideshare.net/mweller/emerging-oer-discipline

14. Photo:CCBY-NC-ND2.0Doranhttps://flic.kr/p/aykCu1
bit.ly/GOGNMembers
hip
go-gn.net

15. b.de-los-arcos@open.ac.uk
@celTatis
go-gn.net
@GOGN_OER