Openness and Praxis: Exploring the Use of Open Educational Practices in Higher Education

• Published in: International review of research in open and distance learning Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 15 - 34
• Main Author: Cronin, Catherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athabasca Athabasca University Press (AU Press) 01.08.2017; International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning; Athabasca University; Athabasca University Press
• Subjects: Collaboration; College Faculty; Comparative Analysis; Constructivism (Learning); Education policy; Educational Attainment; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Educational Research; Educational Resources; Educational technology; Foreign Countries; Grounded Theory; Higher education; Internet resources; Lifelong Learning; OEP; Open Education; open educational practices; Open Educational Resources; Privacy; Qualitative Research; Researchers; Semi Structured Interviews; Shared Resources and Services; Social networks; Socialization; Students; Studies; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher Role; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Technological Literacy; Technology Uses in Education; Ireland
• ISSN: 1492-3831; 1492-3831
• DOI: 10.19173/irrodl.v18i5.3096

Open educational practices (OEP) is a broad descriptor of practices that include the creation, use, and reuse of open educational resources (OER) as well as open pedagogies and open sharing of teaching practices. As compared with OER, there has been little empirical research on individual educators’ use of OEP for teaching in higher education. This research study addresses that gap, exploring the digital and pedagogical strategies of a diverse group of university educators, focusing on whether, why, and how they use OEP for teaching. The study was conducted at one Irish university; semi-structured interviews were carried out with educators across multiple disciplines. Only a minority of educators used OEP. Using constructivist grounded theory, a model of the concept “Using OEP for teaching” was constructed showing four dimensions shared by open educators: balancing privacy and openness, developing digital literacies, valuing social learning, and challenging traditional teaching role expectations. The use of OEP by educators is complex, personal, and contextual; it is also continually negotiated. These findings suggest that research-informed policies and collaborative and critical approaches to openness are required to support staff, students, and learning in an increasingly complex higher education environment.