A framework for the ethics of Open Education
Published | April 2016 |
Journal | Open Praxis Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages 93-109 |
Publisher | 2016 Open Education Global Conference Selected Papers |
Country | Poland |
ABSTRACT
What difference does openness make to the ethics of teaching and research? This paper approaches this question both from the perspective of research into the use of open educational resources (OER) in teaching and learning. An outline of the nature and importance of ethics in education research is provided before the basic principles of research ethics are examined through a discussion of traditional guidance provided by three UK research governance bodies: the Economics and Social Research Council; the British Education Research Association; and the British Psychological Society. The importance and foundation of institutional approval for research activities is analysed with several examples of the differences made by openness. It is argued that openness by its nature provokes particular issues for education researchers. A framework for understanding openness in education is then proposed based on basic meta-ethical positions (deontological; consequentialist; virtue). Used as a tool, the framework attempts to retain relevance in a variety of scenarios without requiring a dogmatic vision of openness (e.g. an insistence on open licensing). This framework is then evaluated in the context of the OER Research Hub project, which developed guidance for others in the form of an 'ethics manual' and online learning provided through the OER Research Hub’s 'Open Research' course hosted on P2PU’s School of Open. Use of the framework is intended to contribute to a better understanding of professional ethics for open practitioners.Keywords | data · ethics · MOOC · OER · open education · pedagogy · privacy |
Published at | Krakow |
ISSN | 2304-070X |
Other number | 2 |
Refereed | Yes |
Rights | by/3.0 |
URL | http://www.openpraxis.org/index.php/OpenPraxis/article/view/291 |
Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
Viewed by 161 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
Who are the open learners? A comparative study profiling non-formal users of open educational resources
Farrow, Rob; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Pitt, R.; Weller, M.
Open educational resources (OER) have been identified as having the potential to extend opportunities for learning to non-formal learners. However, little research has been conducted into the impact of OER on non-formal ...
Match: Farrow, Rob; data; MOOC; OER
Open Educational Resources: Innovation, research and practice
Burgos Aguilar, José Vladimir; Cox, Glenda; Czerniewicz, Laura; D'Antoni, Susan; et al.
Open Educational Resources (OER) – that is, teaching, learning and research materials that their owners make free to others to use, revise and share – offer a powerful means of expanding the reach and effectiveness ...
Match: Farrow, Rob; MOOC; open education
The impact of OER on teaching and learning practice
McAndrew, Patrick; Weller, Martin; de los Arcos, Bea; Farrow, Rob; Pitt, Beck
The OER Research Hub has been investigating the impact of OER, using eleven hypotheses, and a mixed methods approach to establish an evidence base. This paper explores the findings relating to teaching and learning. The ...
Match: Farrow, Rob; OER; open education
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: ethics; MOOC; pedagogy; privacy
Learning the Lessons of Openness
McAndrew, Patrick; Farrow, Rob; Elliott-Cirigottis, Gary; Law, Patrina
The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement has built up a record of experience and achievements since it was formed 10 years ago as an identifiable approach to sharing online learning materials. In its initial phase, ...
Match: Farrow, Rob; OER; open education
Who are the open learners? A comparative study profiling non-formal users of open educational resources
Weller, Martin; Farrow, Robert; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Pitt, Rebecca
Open educational resources (OER) have been identified as having the potential to extend opportunities for learning to non-formal learners. However, little research has been conducted into the impact of OER on non-formal ...
Match: data; MOOC; OER
What can Europeana bring to Open Education?
Truyen, Fred; Colangelo, Clarissa; Taes, Sofie; Ubachs, George; Konings, Lizzie
Overview of papers on enhancement of European Higher Education as presented during the Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference in Rome, October 2016
Europeana is Europe’s main culture portal, with now ...
Match: MOOC; OER; open education
An architecture based on Linked Data technologies for the integration and reuse of OER in MOOCs context
Piedra, Nelson; Chicaiza, Janneth Alexandra; López, Jorge; Tovar, Edmundo
The Linked Data initiative is considered as one of the most effective alternatives for creating global shared information spaces, it has become an interesting approach for discovering and enriching open educational ...
Match: MOOC; OER; open education
Open education
Pisutova, K.
Introduction to some concepts of openness in education. This presentation addresses concepts of Open Licensing (Creative Commons licenses), Open Content, Open Coursewere, Open Educational Resources, and Open Teaching ...
Match: MOOC; open education
Open Education, Open Educational Practice and the concept of Openness: Issues and challenges
Gaskell, Anne
All the articles in this issue contribute to the debates surrounding Open Education, including Open Universities, Open Educational Resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Match: open education