I agree with what you say about assessment and accreditation being 'required' in some way by employers, Vivien, but there are exceptions. Artists have portfolios which can get them the job regardless of their qualifications. Computer programmers may get hired because of their degree, but may get hired because they aced the coding task in the interview despite their lack of a qualification. MOOCs can help give people these skills, which is indeed challenging to institutions.

Feedback and marking do cost money, and they are invaluable to (most) learners. Here I think of the OER University, which recommends all OER learning materials, and therefore most fees go only to the assessment and accreditation. And so a student can get a 'proper' degree at about one-quarter the usual price.  Another challenge to institutions.

Cheers!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terese Bird
Learning Technologist and SCORE Research Fellow
Leicester Learning Institute, University of Leicester,
University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
T:  +44 (0)116 252 5763
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-----Original Message-----
From: Open Education Special Interest Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Vivien Sieber
Sent: 27 October 2014 10:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: What effects might OER/OEP have on the roles of institutions and teachers?

Perhaps if we recognize that teaching is no longer about transmission of content, which OER/MOOCs/Wikipedia etc can do well and acknowledge that it is about developing higher order (evaluation, critical appraisal, synthesis, writing). Then it is easier to think in new ways within traditional framework.

Assessment and accreditation remain important externally i.e. employers. Which is a major limitation of MOOCs as feedback and marking are generally expensive. Again, we need to think in new ways.
Best wishes
Vivien



e-mail: [log in to unmask]

________________________________________
From: Open Education Special Interest Group <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Terry Loane <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 27 October 2014 10:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: What effects might OER/OEP have on the roles of institutions and teachers?

For some time I have had this awkward thought buzzing around in my head.

I wonder if many discussions on open educational resources/practice fail to acknowledge the potential that  OER/OEP might have to disrupt existing structural/institutional/hierarchical models of learning. Below is a very crude diagram of what I see as the traditional relationships between educational 'players'. (I hope the diagram renders OK when you receive this message!)

Institution
   |
   |
   |
Teacher
   |       \
   |        Learning resources
   |       /
Student

Many people seem to ask the question: how should universities, colleges and teachers of the future use OER/OEP? But this very question seems to assume that the future will see a 'business as usual' model of education with OER sort of stuck on somehow. But learning resources are becoming ever more available, ever more sophisticated and are developing a life of their own, as it were. Could this utterly change the relationships in the diagram above? (Technology is surely already changing the role of the teacher.) But what about the role of the institution? Are MOOCs perhaps a last desperate attempt by institutions to maintain their power and role in a world that no longer really needs them?

Not that I am trying to be controversial, of course:-)

What do you think?

Terry Loane