Open educational resources : conversations in cyberspace

172 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.Libro ElectrónicoEducation systems today face two major challenges: expanding the reach of education and improving its quality. Traditional solutions will not suffice, especially in the context of today's knowledge-intensive societies. The Open Educational Resources movement offers one solution for extending the reach of education and expanding learning opportunities. The goal of the movement is to equalize access to knowledge worldwide through openly and freely available online high-quality content. Over the course of two years, the international community came together in a series of online discussion forums to discuss the concept of Open Educational Resources and its potential. This publication makes the background papers and reports from those discussions available in print.--Publisher's description.A first forum : presenting the open educational resources (OER) movement. Open educational resources : an introductory note / Sally Johnstone -- Providing OER and related issues : an introductory note / Anne Margulies, ... [et al.] -- Using OER and related issues : in introductory note / Mohammed-Nabil Sabry, ... [et al.] -- Discussion highlights / Paul Albright -- Ongoing discussion. A research agenda for OER : discussion highlights / Kim Tucker and Peter Bateman -- A 'do-it-yourself' resource for OER : discussion highlights / Boris Vukovic -- Free and open source software (FOSS) and OER -- A second forum : discussing the OECD study of OER. Mapping procedures and users / Jan Hylén -- Why individuals and institutions share and use OER / Jan Hylén -- Discussion highlights / Alexa Joyce -- Priorities for action. Open educational resources : the way forward / Susan D'Antoni

Adoption of Free Open Source Geographic Information System Solution for Health Sector in Zanzibar Tanzania

\ud The study aims at developing in-depth understanding on how Open Source Geographic Information System technology is used to provide solutions for data visualization in the health sector of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study focuses on implementing the health visualization solutions for the purpose of bridging the gap during the transition period from proprietary software to the Free Open-Source Software using Key Indicator Data System. The developed tool facilitates data integration between the two District Health Information Software versions and hence served as a gateway solution during the transition process. Implementation challenges that include outdated spatial data and the reluctance of the key users in coping with the new Geographical Information System technologies were also identified. Participatory action research and interviews were used in understanding the requirements for the new tool to facilitate the smooth system development for better health service delivery.\u

The adoption of open sources within higher education in Europe : a dissemination case study

For some time now, the open-source (OS) phenomenon has been making its presence felt; disrupting the economics of the software industry and, by proxy, the business of education. A combination of the financial pressure Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) find themselves under and the increasing focus on the use of technology to enhance students' learning have encouraged many HEIs to look towards alternative approaches to teaching and learning. Meanwhile, the "OS" has challenged assumptions about how intellectual products are created and protected and has greatly increased the quantity and arguably the quality of educational technologies available to HEIs

Lilly Endowment Annual Report 2015

During 2015, the Endowment paid grants totaling $435.5 million. Community development grants accounted for$200.4 million (46 percent), religion grants accounted for $124.1 million (29 percent) and education grants accounted for$111.0 million (25 percent). Most grants were paid to organizations in Indiana - a total of $257.8 million (59 percent). Of the payment total of$435.5 million, $107.9 million (25 percent) was paid to nonMarion County grantees in Indiana and$149.9 million (34 percent) to Marion County (Indianapolis) grantees. Organizations outside of Indiana received $177.7 million (41 percent). Most of these grants paid outside of Indiana were religion grants.The annual report includes a complete list of 2015 grants

Designing an Open Virtual Factory of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for Industrial Engineering Education

Curriculum of Industrial Engineering program must accomplish the requirement that graduates have the ability to design, develop, implement, and improve integrated system that include people, materials, equipment and energy. However, it is not easy to implement a curriculum that fosters such competencies. One of the strategies to achieve that is using an innovative learning media, so that the problem-based learning (PBL) can be accustomed. In this paper, we design a web-based enterprise resources planning. It is aimed to capture the real problem of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in bottled drinking water industries. The integrated system can be illustrated as ERP application that designed by using free open source software (FOSS). This research aimed to utilize the application to improve teaching methods in IE education. The result of the research can be used to improve the competencies of IE students, especially the abilities to identify, formulate, and solve the activities of the business process improvement in SMEs. Keywords Industrial engineering education, FOSS, innovative learning media, problem-based learnin

Open Source/Open Course Learning: Lessons for Educators from Free and Open Source Software

Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) has transformed the software industry. As noted by other authors in this issue, academic information technology (IT) is already realizing many benefits by adopting open software; such benefits include reduced cost, absence of user restrictions and vendor lock-in, and consistency with traditional academic values of openness and sharing. The greatest benefit of the FOSS movement for educators, however, is not cheaper or better software but the model it provides of a social, cultural, and legal framework capable of harnessing IT to improve learning. At this point, some may object: "Universities have been using IT for a half-century and hardly need a new model. " But formal education has used IT principally to support administration and research and has been slow to adapt it to improve its core business of teaching and learning. Traditional learning is still too passive, too parochial, too hierarchical, and too artificial. By harnessing IT effectively, educators can make instruction more graphic, dynamic, and active than it is now. They can introduce students to real-world experts and real-world problems and create communities of practice that promote learning. Others may object that a huge amount of online content is already available at no charge, so open source learning is old news. But price is the least important issue in open source learning, as a review of the factors critical to the success of FOSS will make clear

The University in the Learning Economy

In all parts of the world, universities are exposed to a growing pressure to change. This is caused by the emergence of new relationship between the economic dynamics and the production of knowledge as well as by policy and administrative initiatives finding their rationale in interpretations of these changes. In this paper an attempt is made to specify some of the new challenges, and suggest appropriate responses. Under the heading ‘the learning economy’ changes in the context of universities are identified. One important conclusion is that traditional modes of organisation, characterised by sharp and rigid borders between disciplines and isolation from the society at large are being challenged and alternatives have to be developed. Another conclusion is that strategies of alliance and networking have become a key factor behind the success of universities. A third conclusion is that the universities’ most significant contribution to society and the economy will remain welleducated graduates with critical minds and good learning skills.Production of knowledge, education, networks

SENEME/COSEE-NE Nauplius Newsletter

The Spring/Summer 2005 edition of this Southeastern New England Marine Educator (SENEME) publication was funded by COSEE-New England, who contributed several articles, a plankton tow lesson plan, and a plankton key. The articles include: Helping Scientists and Educators Connect, Teacher Resource Center at New England Aquarium, Success in the Middle School Classroom, and Lobster Literacy Conference. The site also features SENEME member and board information, upcoming events, and a bulletin board. Educational levels: Middle school, High school, Graduate or professional, General public