Praxis: Open Educational Practices and Open Science to face the challenges of critical Educational Action Research

El documento presenta las conclusiones del proyecto PRAXIS: Formación pedagógico-didáctica en tecnologías y práctica docente. FSED_3_2016_1_133331The paper presents the findings from PRAXIS, an educational action research project developed within academic professional learning communities (PLC) in the context of public higher education in Uruguay. As a strategy towards fostering teaching innovation, we explored the potential and benefits of academic PLC for the reflection and transformation of teaching practices, and the integration of digital technologies in a meaningful way into teaching. The approach was based on Open Science (OS) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) as foundational frameworks to face the challenges of critical Educational Action Research. Key findings of the project emphasise the impact of PRAXIS framework combining OEP, OS, and academic PLC, as well as collaborative and participatory technologies for the transformation of teaching and educational research practices

A Latin American Critical Conceptual Model on the Adoption of Open Educational Resources

A conceptual model on OER adoption is presented, as the substantive theoretical synthesis of a Grounded Theory study, whose purpose was to identify which factors influence the adoption of OER among teachers in Latin American universities. Main theoretical-methodological bases are rooted and analised, in comparison with the traditional approach identified in the most recent literature. From a double “emic” perspective on agency and structure, the faculty and the university institution, the resultant conceptual model includes four categories influencing the adoption of OER among professors in Latin American universities: 1) Construction of Teacher Professional Identity; 2) Practices and Transformations in the Curriculum; 3) Creation, Use and Opening of Digital Educational Resources; and 4) Social Representations about Repositories of OER. Properties and dimensions of each category are presented and described. The critical conceptual model may be adopted by researchers from all regions who seek to unveil and decolonise the hidden curriculum of OER.S

Explorando transformaciones deseables en la Educación Superior Pública para la inclusión educativa

Tesis presentada con el objetivo de obtener el título de Magíster en Enseñanza Universitaria en el marco del Programa de Especialización y Maestría en Enseñanza Universitaria del Área Social y de la Comisión Sectorial de Enseñanza de la Universidad de la República.En esta investigación se estudian las tendencias y concepciones sobre la descentralización territorial de la Universidad de la República presentes en el discurso de los actores institucionales integrantes de su máximo órgano de gobierno, el Consejo Directivo Central, durante el período que se ubica entre los años 2002 al 2010. En la Introducción se presenta el problema de la inequidad en el acceso a la Educación Superior existente en Uruguay en función del origen geográfico, ubicando a la Universidad de la República como la gran protagonista en la formulación de políticas para la generalización del acceso a la Educación Superior y en particular, en el diseño de políticas de descentralización universitaria. En el Cap. 1 se presenta la Metodología acuñada para el estudio de los procesos de gestación de estas políticas de descentralización, desarrollada en base al análisis de contenido de las Actas de Sesión de su principal órgano de conducción política y académica. El Cap. 2 expone el Análisis desarrollado en base a la elaboración metodológica, el cual derivó en la concepción de cuatro categorías: 1. Componentes institucionales constitutivos de un Sistema Nacional Terciario y Universitario; 2. Concepciones sobre el acceso a la Educación Superior; 3. Aspectos de gestión en la nueva estructura institucional y 4. Aspectos académicos en la nueva estructura institucional. La amplitud y diversidad de las expresiones orales presentes en las Actas de Sesión nos ha llevado a un trabajo de largo aliento. La ilustración detallada da muestra de las diferentes categorías y se opta por una descripción integrada de los hallazgos, que habilita una visión global del análisis realizado. En el Cap. 3 se presenta la Discusión de los hallazgos y un cierre interpretativo de los mismos. Habiendo dado cuenta de una evolución en el tema de descentralización territorial, se observan tendencias y concepciones que constituyen diferentes Modelos de Descentralización Territorial Universitaria, que se presentan como variaciones dentro de un continuum. El proceso desarrollado y los productos alcanzados ofrecen un aporte original para el estudio de las transformaciones en el escenario de la Educación Superior pública en el Uruguay, sus vinculaciones con el desarrollo productivo y social del país y sus implicancias en el impulso a la generalización del Acceso a la Educación Superior para la Inclusión Educativa.This research examines the trends and conceptions of territorial decentralization of the University of the Republic in the discourse of institutional actors, members of the highest governance body, the Central Board, during the period 2002 at 2010. The Introduction presents the problem of inequality in Access to Higher Education in Uruguay in relation to geographic origin, placing the University of the Republic as the main protagonist in the formulation of policies for wide access to Higher Education and in particular, in the design of university decentralization policies. Chapter 1 presents the methodology of the study of the gestation process of decentralization policies, developed on content analysis of meetings of the main political and academic body. Chapter 2 presents the analysis based on the methodological development, which resulted in the conception of four categories: 1. Institutional components of a National Tertiary and University System, 2. Conceptions about access to Higher Education, 3. Management issues in the new institutional structure and 4. Academic aspects in the new institutional structure. The diversity of oral expressions present in the Proceedings of Sessions has resulted in a long work. The detailed illustration shows the different categories and we opt for an integrated description of the findings, which enables an overview of the analysis. Chapter 3 presents a discussion of the findings and an interpretive closure of them. Having noticed an evolution in the field of territorial decentralization, there are trends and ideas that are different models of Territorial University Decentralization, presented as variations within a continuum. The process developed and the products made offer an original contribution to the study of changes in the context of public Higher Education in Uruguay, its linkages with the productive and social development of the country and its implications in promoting widespread access to Higher Education for Inclusive Education

University teachers and open educational resources: case studies from Latin America

The Open Education movement has made efforts to systematise experiences and to evaluate the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER). However, OER adoption is not part of the prevailing paradigm in higher education, both at the global level and in Latin America. This paper describes results of a study that analysed the social representations regarding the development, use, and reuse of OER by university teachers in their pedagogical practices. We conducted a study of 12 cases from Latin American universities based on Grounded Theory. The results show that the use and reuse of OER lacks of public and institutional policies. The main agents are teachers organised in teams that support OER adoption. The reasons that encourage the creation of OER are mainly intrinsic, such as the pleasure derived from contributing and sharing, as well as external and related to professional development needs from the reflection on one’s own educational practice. Educators consider it essential to evaluate the resources created so that they can be reused in continuous improvement processes. Commercial use and misappropriation of the works are two of the main tensions identified. The community factor of teaching guides most behaviours in OER adoption in educational institutions and is presented as an inherent part of the development and transformation of the curriculumThis research was supported in part by: Red Iberoamericana para la Usabilidad de Repositorios Educativos, Red 513RT0471 (RIURE); Interdisciplinary Space, Sectoral Commission of Education, and Sectoral Commission of Scientific Research, Universidad de la RepúblicaS

Critical data literacy in praxis: An open education approach for academic development

This paper reports the pedagogical approach and outcomes of a series of academic development programmes organised between 2016 and 2022 in different countries, which are grounded in the ethos of open educational practices, critical thinking, citizenship and pedagogy as well as ideas around social justice, data justice and data ethics using Open Data as open educational resources, to enable critical reflections and practical exercises with academics from different regions. Our recommendations and conclusions provide practical advice promoting a dialogue between different stakeholders to facilitate the development of curricula, workshops and resources using an open model for academic development.&#x0D

Research in Open Education in Latin America: towards an agenda of collaboration between networks

There is great potential in the use of open educational resources (OER). This article presents the Global Network of Graduates of REA (GO-GN) a network that includes PhD candidates from around the world, whose research projects include a focus on Open Education (OE), and the potential for collaboration with the Latin American Community of Learning Objects (LACLO). This collaboration may help to raise the profile of OE research in Latin America, offer support to those conducting doctoral research in this area, promote equity and inclusion in the field of OE research, and promote open science at all levels of the research process. In this sense, a series of options are offered, such as participation in conferences and webinars, joint processes that can potentially co-development of research publications and projects, and the recognition and expansion of the impact of the achievements of its members and alumni at a global level

Teacher education in the emergency: a MOOC-inspired teacher professional development strategy grounded in critical digital pedagogy and pedagogy of care

The Covid-19 pandemic started off a process that would drastically change the ways to teach and learn, deepening and accelerating the relationship between technologies and educational processes, reshaping the Higher Education scenario. The emergency challenged Universidad de la República, the main public university in Uruguay, which in turn designed and implemented Emergency Remote Teaching, that allowed the continuity of Higher Education, minimizing academic impacts. Within this frame of action, the Virtual Learning Environments Program elaborated a Contingency Plan for teaching and learning, with an approach that considered Pedagogy of Care and Critical Digital Pedagogy. One of the actions implemented was the Teacher Professional Development Course “Teaching Online in Emergency Conditions”. This experience constitutes a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) -inspired course in Udelar. The article describes this innovative experience in Teacher Professional Development, presents the theoretical basis and methodological approach, the process and main decisions concerning the course design. Also, it describes the achievements of the experience, with the objective of identifying potential benefits of Teacher Professional Development initiatives based on MOOCs in the frame of emergency conditions. It analyzes teachers’ contributions and interactions during the course to assess appropriation of educational principles, methodologies and tools applied to online course redesign in the light of Critical Digital Pedagogy and Pedagogy of Care. The initiative ended up being an enriching alternative to approaching Teacher Professional Development, emphasizing its relevance in the context of rapid response to the transition to Emergency Remote Teaching. This experience adds up empirical data, to a necessary accumulation that would in time, allow more generalizable appreciations

Promoción de los Recursos Educativos Abiertos y de la Reforma del Derecho de Autor. Perspectivas complementarias para favorecer el Derecho a la Educación

[EN]Abstract—This paper presents a social media campaign called “Right to Study”, aimed to open a debate in Uruguay on access to study materials, promoting the copyright’s reform and open educational resources adoption among the university student population. It was an action of advocacy carried forward from the academy, aimed to empower students with scientific information that would allow them to promote public educational policy changes. During the last fifteen years different approaches, movements and infrastructure have been generated around the the idea of the abundance of content and educational resources as a platform for development and innovation in learning. However, this promise is challenged by the nature of intellectual property, represented by the global battle against the public domain and open licenses, and greater protection for authors’s rights than users’s rights. The public impact of the presented social media campaign realized the importance of an integrated

Praxis: transformación de las prácticas de enseñanza universitaria con tecnologías digitales

Experiencia de trabajo en comunidades académicas de aprendizaje profesional (CAAP) desarrollada en el marco del proyecto PRAXIS: Formación pedagógico-didáctica en tecnologías y práctica docente. FSED_3_2016_1_133331Se relata una experiencia de trabajo en comunidades académicas de aprendizaje profesional (CAAP) desarrollada en el marco del proyecto “Praxis: formación pedagógico-didáctica en tecnologías y práctica docente”, proyecto de investigación-acción desarrollado en Uruguay de 2017 a 2019, orientado a explorar e indagar las prácticas desarrolladas por docentes de nivel medio y superior de la educación pública en Uruguay, como forma de identificar posibilidades, fortalezas y debilidades de la integración de tecnologías digitales en sus estrategias de enseñanza. El artículo enfoca en el proceso desarrollado por una CAAP en el contexto de la Universidad de la República (Udelar). Los hallazgos dan cuenta del potencial transformador de las CAAP desde un modelo de trabajo colaborativo con tecnologías participativas en un marco de prácticas abiertas, orientando la continuidad de esta modalidad como estrategia de desarrollo profesional docente

Recursos Educativos Abiertos en Uruguay: avances y desafíos.

Este artículo presenta las estrategias de promoción de los Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA) que se han llevado a cabo en Uruguay. En particular, se describen los procesos que se implementan en el marco de la Universidad de la República, el Plan Ceibal y el Consejo de Formación Educativa de la Dirección Nacional de Educación Pública, como líderes en el desarrollo de políticas y prácticas de TEA a nivel nacional. También describen los principales desafíos para el desarrollo del modelo de TEA en la educación pública uruguaya