New developments in open educational practice – openinguped

"I’ve wrote these notes to provide background to the presentation that I would have made at the RIDE 2018 conference in London were it not for the UCU pensions strike.   In the post I reflect on recent developments in Open Educational Practice (OEP) and explore their implications for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and the potential for mainstreaming in education more widely. In doing so I draw on personal experience garnered in the course of a three-year project concerned with OEP and on a review of recent literature.

In brief: ODL and the Open Education Movement constitute separate strands within the broader landscape of ‘open’ with distinct histories and origins. Both strands rely heavily on learning technology. However, the pedagogy and practice of ODL developed prior to the growth of digital technology. Open Education in contrast has more recent roots and has grown and developed at the same time and in harness with the rapid growth of digital and mobile technologies. There are multiple points of contact between the two strands but both face challenges in developing student centred practice for a world of ubiquitous digital devices and free digital content...."