Toward a critical approach for OER: A case study in removing the 'Big Five' from OER creation
| Published | December 2019 |
| Journal | Open Praxis Volume 11, Issue 4, Pages 355-367 |
| Country | Canada, North America |
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the role of proprietary software in the production of open educational resources (OER). Using a single case study, the paper explores the implications of removing proprietary software from an OER project, with the aim of examining how complicated such a process is and whether removing such software meaningfully advances a critical approach to OER. The analysis reveals that software from the Big Five technology companies (Apple, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft) are deeply embedded in OER production and distribution, and that complete elimination of software or services from these companies is not feasible. The paper concludes by positing that simply rejecting Big Five technology introduces too many challenges to be justified on a pragmatic basis; however, it encourages OER creators to remain critical in their use of technology and continue to try to advance a critical approach to OER.| Keywords | open source software · proprietary software · critical approaches to open educational resources · critical theory |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 2304-070X |
| Refereed | Yes |
| Rights | CC BY-SA |
| DOI | 10.5944/openpraxis.11.4.1020 |
| URL | https://openpraxis.org/index.php/OpenPraxis/article/view/1020 |
| Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
AVAILABLE FILES
Viewed by 142 distinct readers
CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS
The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.
Click a star to be the first to rate this document
▶ POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS
JiFUNzeni: A blended learning approach for sustainable teachers professional development
Onguko, Brown Bully
JiFUNzeni blended learning approach is a sustainable approach to provision of professional development (PD) for those in challenging educational contexts. JiFUNzeni approach emphasizes training regional experts to ...
Match: approach
Weekly predicting the at-risk MOOC learners using dominance-based rough set approach
Bouzayane, Sarra; Saad, Inès; Kloos, Carlos Delgado; Jermann, Patrick; et al.
This paper proposes a method based on the Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA) to predict the learners who are likely to drop out the course during the next week of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) based on ...
Match: approach
Analyzing the discourse on open educational resources on Twitter: a sentiment analysis approach
Bhagat, Kaushal Kumar; Mishra, Sanjaya; Parida, Ashis Kumar; Samal, Alyal; et al.
This study investigated the sentiment of Twitter discourse on Open Educational Resources (OER). We collected 124,126 tweets containing hashtags related to OER posted from January 2017 to December 2021. We performed ...
Match: approach; canada
Peer-to-peer recognition of learning in open education
Schmidt, Jan Philipp; Geith, Christine; Håklev, Stian; Thierstein, Joel
Recognition in education is the acknowledgment of learning achievements. Accreditation is certification of such recognition by an institution, an organization, a government, a community, etc. There are a number of ...
Match: open source software; canada
Massive open online courses: A traditional or transformative approach to learning
Vale, Katie; Littlejohn, Allison; Littlejohn, Allison; Pegler, Chris
This chapter examines potential benefits and limitations of MOOCs, using a case example of a major MOOC initiative:edX. This chapter begins by examining conflicting perspectives around MOOCs from the literature. Then ...
Match: approach
Developing a strategic approach to MOOCs
Ferguson, Rebecca; Scanlon, Eileen; Harris, Lisa
During the last eight years, interest in massive open online courses (MOOCs) has grown fast and continuously worldwide. Universities that had never engaged with open or online learning have begun to run courses in these ...
Match: approach
Learning from TESS-India’s approach to OER localisation across multiple Indian states
Perryman, L -A.; Hemmings-Buckler, Alison; Seal, Tim
Arguably, the benefits of open educational resources (OER) are greatest in low- and middle-income countries, where they have the potential to increase access to learning for those who may otherwise be excluded. However, ...
Match: approach
OER approach for specific student groups in hardware-based courses
Ackovska, N.; Ristov, S.
Hardware-based courses in computer science studies require much effort from both students and teachers. The most important part of students' learning is attending in person and actively working on laboratory exercises ...
Match: approach
Teacher professional learning communities: A collaborative OER adoption approach in Karnataka, India
Kasinathan, Gurumurthy; Ranganathan, Sriranjani; Hodgkinson-Williams, Cheryl; Arinto, Patricia B.
This chapter analyses collaborative Open Educational Resources (OER) adoption amongst Indian school teachers by examining the enabling and constraining techno-social, techno-pedagogical and sociocultural factors in an ...
Match: approach
A component-based approach to open educational resources in climate change education
Haslett, Simon K.; Wallen, Jonathan
AbstractThis paper reports on the creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) for climate change education as part of a Higher Education Academy (HEA)/Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)-funded initiative ...
Match: approach









