Dr. Rob Farrow from the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University spoke about OER innovation as part of day 2 of OERxDomains21. This is the second presentation I watch from the Open University and love what they are doing. Farrow asked: what does innovation look like in OER? Interestingly, Farrow mentioned that copyright was an innovation and OER was a response to copyright. I agree with Farrow that it is not easy to understand what “innovation” actually means! Farrow cited Weller 2014 and mentioned that openness is not only technology… it includes a human side. Researching Open Education is the focus of the Open Education Hub. This group collaborated with BC Open Campus, Open Stax, and several others to address a series of keywords and hypotheses. They looked at several projects and described the “innovation aspect” and showed examples. I did not know about the open graduate network to support dissertation work focused on open! Farrow discussed the diffusion of innovations (citing Rogers 2003) and the market for OER. The SAMR: Substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition model was mapped onto open textbooks, for example. Farrow ended by mentioning ways of fostering innovation in OER. These included critical pedagogy and raising awareness. Farrow also talked about ENCORE+: European Network for Catalyzing Open Resources in Education. This new project includes Canvas as a collaborator and looks for business models and open innovation theory. The project will also create briefings and reports to summarize the findings and include communities of practice (“circles”). I am invested in learning about OER and how to create and use OERs in courses and undergraduate research. I want to be a partner and responsible innovator that does not overlook all that has been done in this field. I am new to Open and want to make the efforts of undergraduate researchers in the Delftia team and participants in the courses I teach worthwhile and useful to the community beyond our campus.
Stacey Salt discussed “Cultural Paradigm Shift in the FE” in that same day 2 session. Salt is from the FE Sector, and I didn’t know about this institution. Salt started with a slide “what is my why?” that reminded me of the books I have read (listened to) from Simon Sinek. Salt is an advanced practitioner and works with staff to help promote professional development and organizational change. I appreciate how Salt mentioned being an educator for staff and students while also being constantly and continuously educated by the opportunities they are exposed to! Salt talked about the organizational culture, the norms, and values before the pandemic. Salt used the “Bridges transition model” to catalogue change: this model has “stages” ending, losing, letting go; the neural zone; and the new beginning. Salt mentioned the disruption and challenges of moving to a remote online teaching environment and “digital culture.” Salt described a shift that they connect to the neutral zone of the model. The shift was to a “bottom up approach” listening to student voices and staff member concerns. The culture became an enterprise culture with new people embracing opportunities to be creative and coming out of their comfort zones! I agree: I was able to try new things in the courses I teach and… started this blog/journal! Salt then mentioned that the “new” involved collective practice, collaboration, sharing, and care. Salt emphasized how this last year brought “learning through exposure” and truly collective sharing.
