With a Little Help from My Friends - Encouraging the reuse of open educational resources
Sharing open educational resources would logically be followed by their reuse. But does that actually happen? Studies into reuse show that there are barriers that hinder optimal reuse. For example, insufficient confidence in the quality or difficulty in determining the relevance of learning materials can stand in the way of their reuse. To encourage the reuse of open educational resources, Robert Schuwer (OER Consultancy) conducted research on behalf of Npuls into ways of providing practical tools for this. Please note: the report is only available in Dutch.
Wat?
The report presents the results of a literature and source study into practices surrounding the reuse of open educational resources. The research focuses on the central question: what activities and measures are known to promote the reuse of learning materials? The report outlines the broader context in which the reuse of open educational resources takes place and explains which factors influence reuse. These factors have been translated into practical tools that educational institutions can use to encourage the reuse of open educational resources. In addition, the report discusses the potential role of generative AI and how this technology can influence the reuse of open educational resources.
Voor wie?
The report is of interest to anyone who is actively involved in digital open educational resources or wants to start doing so. Policymakers, support staff, teachers, library staff and project leaders in particular can benefit from it.
Samenvatting
The report states, among other things, that teachers' confidence in the quality of learning materials is a decisive factor in their reuse. This confidence is strongly linked to the reputation of the source and the clarity of the description of the learning materials: does it provide sufficient information to proceed with reuse? An effective way to increase this confidence is to be transparent about how the quality of open learning materials is guaranteed.
Another important role in encouraging reuse lies in collaboration within a professional community. People within a professional community can draw each other's attention to high-quality open educational resources and ensure that they remain up to date and are maintained. To ensure that teachers and support staff have sufficient time and space to be active in such a community, decision-makers must be convinced of its value. Robert Schuwer's advice is therefore: involve decision-makers in activities and celebrate successes with them.