The Identified Informal Learner: Recognizing Assessed Learning in the Open

Badged open courses (BOCs) were piloted on the OpenLearn platform by the Open University (OU) in the UK in 2013. These are free online course upon the completion of which, digital badges are awarded. Based on the evaluation of their impact, they now form a key strand to the OU’s free learning provision, embracing Open Educational Practices at their core. The first permanent suite of BOCs was launched on OpenLearn in 2015 and evaluated for impact, both from an outreach and a business perspective. The application of a branded open digital badge, with associated assessment and feedback has provided a mechanism to motivate and reward informal learners whilst also generating a higher than expected click-through to make an enquiry about becoming a formal student

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission

Refining Open Educational Resources For Both Learner And Institution

The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement over the past ten years has described many benefits of releasing learning for free, including business remunerations to institutions as well as a means to altruistically reach underserved groups. By examining learner behaviour and motivation, the papers collated for this PhD by Published Work bring a critical analysis to the experience of delivering OER addressing the broad research question “How can the refinement of OER benefit both learner and institution?”. A range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and associated website analytics are used to investigate the challenges of repurposing OER together with how the motivations of those wishing to take advantage of OER usage can be better supported. During the five-year time line of these papers, formal students and informal learners, predominantly UK-based, were surveyed by the author generating several thousand responses. These surveys focussed mainly on a large institutional endeavour to deliver OER at The Open University, key findings from which show the business impact of open educational practice where literature had provided only theoretical assumptions. The data also exposes the many and varied motivations of learners using OER where literature has focused largely on the experience and attitudes of educators. The thesis reveals learners’ problems with OER usability more generally, and critically, the desire for certification of OER study against the prohibitive costs of studying in higher education. It describes the development by the author and associated impact of the application of digital badges (or ‘micro-credentials’) to reward users of OER as recognition for informal learning achievements. The thesis includes recommendations that extend beyond one institution’s OER policy, regarding the design and curation of OER globally to better serve the needs of learners, particularly those who cannot afford formal study. It also highlights the need to bring together OER and micro-credentials more cohesively to explore the potential of a framework of core work-related skills needed for a digital economy. It is concluded that there is an economy of scale to the delivery of OER, but that the key to successful impact is through robust open educational practice, instructional design and tangible recognition to learners of their achievements

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Digital badging at The Open University: recognition for informal learning

Awarding badges to recognise achievement is not a new development. Digital badging now offers new ways to recognise learning and motivate learners, providing evidence of skills and achievements in a variety of formal and informal settings. Badged Open Courses (BOCs) were piloted in various forms by the Open University (OU) in 2013 to provide a digital acknowledgement for learners’ participation in three entry level, unsupported courses: Learning to Learn and Succeed with Maths Parts 1 and 2. The desire to build on the OU’s badging pilots is informed by research (Perryman et al., 2013; Law et al., 2013) into the motivations and demographic profiles of learners using the free educational resources which The OU makes available through its OpenLearn platform. This research activity was repeated in 2014 and found that an increasing proportion of informal learners are keen to have their informal learning achievements recognised. This paper outlines how the evaluation of the 2013 pilots has informed the development of a suite of free employability and skills BOCs in 2014 that are assessed through the deployment of Moodle quizzes. It also discusses why the University sees the growth in free, ‘soft’ accreditation to be of strategic importance against a backdrop of MOOC providers issuing certification for fee. The BOC project, which aligns with the University’s Journeys from Informal to Formal Learning strategy, will help to provide accessible routes into the University for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate and supports The OU Charter to promote the educational well-being of the community

Recognising Informal Elearning with Digital Badging: Evidence for a Sustainable Business Model

Digital badging as a trend in education is now recognised. It offers a way to reward and motivate, providing evidence of skills and achievements. Badged Open Courses (BOCs) were piloted by The Open University (OU) in 2013. The project built on research into the motivations and profiles of learners using free educational resources which the OU makes available through its OpenLearn platform (Law, Perryman & Law, 2013). This research found that an increasing proportion of learners are keen to have their informal learning achievements recognised (Law & Law, 2014). Based on these data, a suite of free BOCs, assessed through the deployment of Moodle quizzes, was launched. This paper reports on evaluation of the BOCs and what we now know of the strategic importance of informal learning recognition. The initiative aligns with University strategies to provide accessible routes into formal learning for those who might not otherwise have the opportunity

How Directing Formal Students to Institutionally-Delivered OER Supports their Success

The OpenLearn platform was launched in 2006 with the aim of delivering excerpts of the Open University’s (UK) (OU) curriculum as open educational resources (OER). Now reaching over 9m learners a year, the platform delivers free courses, educational interactives, videos and articles across a broad range of subjects reflecting what is delivered formally to students and through topical, engaging content. The OU is the UK’s largest university for undergraduate education with around 170,000 enrolled students primarily engaged in online, distance education. Whilst previous studies on OpenLearn had revealed the demographics of learners using the platform (Law et al., 2013; Perryman et al., 2013; Law & Jelfs, 2016), platform-derived analytics showed that a high proportion of OU students were also using OpenLearn, despite it not performing any formally directed role in the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. This paper discusses research undertaken with OU students in 2017 to examine their experience and motivations for using OpenLearn and the potential impact on their learning. Surveys were issued to 10,000 students with the resulting data informing university strategy around the function of OER as a means to motivate, prepare and retain students. Data showed that students are using OpenLearn for module choice, as a taster of OU study before signing up, for study preparedness, time-management planning, confidence-building, assessment support and professional development. In addition, OU students who use OpenLearn are more likely to be retained and to progress to their next course. This paper will also discuss recommendations and actions taken from this research that were realised in 2018 and early results from this, ostensibly the impact of a project to integrate OER into the student induction process. The data revealed in this paper will be of interest to the wider academic community, HE policymakers, those involved in delivering non-accredited learning and in the impact of OER

Learning the Lessons of Openness

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, much activity was driven by ideals and interest in finding new ways to release content, with less direct research and reflection on the process. It is now important to consider the impact of OER and the types of evidence that are being generated across initiatives, organisations and individuals. Drawing on the work of OLnet (http://olnet.org) in bringing people together through fellowships, research projects and supporting collective intelligence about OER, we discuss the key challenges facing the OER movement. We go on to consider these challenges in the context of another project, Bridge to Success (http://b2s.aacc.edu), identifying the services which can support open education in the future

Ten years of open practice: a reflection on the impact of OpenLearn

The Open University (OU) makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University’s social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the public, but increasingly its students are using it to inform module choice, to augment their studies and to boost confidence. In a year that celebrates 10 years of OpenLearn, this paper reports on the growth and impact of the platform as a vast open, learning resource and how a new study underlines how this is also serving the OU’s own students in terms of supporting motivation for learning and impact on achievements. The paper also discusses how the OU is mainstreaming open practice via module production in releasing content on OpenLearn from its paid-for modules in order to improve student module choice and preparedness and in doing so, is providing a richer learning experience for informal learners

Mapping the Key Motivations of Openlearn Learners in the Pandemic

OpenLearn is the free online learning platform provided by The Open University (OU) in the UK. Growth to the OpenLearn platform since its launch in 2006 as part of the broader open educational resources (OER) movement has been steady, with pre pandemic visits of nearly of 13 million. Shortly after the first UK lockdown in March 2020, the platform saw a doubling of visits overnight. Previous analyses of platform users have identified key groups using the free courses, articles, videos and educational interactives, along with their motivations to study, demographics and usability requirements. These data have resulted in a range of commissioning approaches, and technical and usability developments to better serve the OU’s own students and the body of international non-formal learners, particularly with social mission in mind. In December 2020 a survey of OpenLearn learners was undertaken to gather new data on the massive upsurge in traffic seen during 2020 due to COVID-19, comparing this with existing knowledge and to ensure that commissioning was reaching those who needed it most. During the financial year that incorporated the start of the pandemic (August 2019-July 2020) there were over 24 million visits to the platform. The 6,689 survey responses received were analysed alongside key platform analytics data which were used to provide balance and insight into the geographical location of learners and the technology used by them. Key findings show that OpenLearn appears to be in line with its social mission in terms of reaching learners in low socio-economic groups. Further, in probing to compare with UK data overall, OpenLearn appears to be reaching a significantly greater proportion of those in low-income households. When asked if learners were influenced by the pandemic in choosing to study on OpenLearn, 51% of respondents said that they were. This paper reflects on these users’ stories, expanding on data behind the kind findings, showing that OpenLearn provided much needed supporting during the pandemic to those furloughed and unemployed, to educators and to students. It brings to life their reasons and situations and how – in discovering OER for the first time – they were able to make a positive difference to their mental health, educational and professional situations