Learning to share and sharing to learn – professionaldevelopment of language teachers in HE to foster open educational practices

Abstract

This case study presents the staff-development perspective of the ‘Collaborative Writing and Peer Review Project’ developed at the Department of Languages, at the Open University, UK, between November 2011 and March 2012. The project was set up to promote the professional development of teachers through collaborative writing and peer review, encouraging open educational practices (OEP) and by extension the production and publication of teaching resources in an open repository. As teacher developers working in a blended environment, the authors facilitate opportunities for sharing and developing good practice as part of a broad staff development programme to help teachers understand and integrate innovative approaches into their practice. Participants in this project brought with them a range of experiences as practitioners from their work with language students both at and outside the University. This case study focuses on the professional development aspect of this initiative. It presents the different aspects of the process and analyses teachers’ involvement with social online tools and the impact on teaching practice of engaging with the process of collaboration