Open Ed at University System of New Hampshire
Yesterday, June 2, 2016 I caught wind of the University System of New Hampshire’s officially announcement of their open education initiative. Here is the official press release. This story was also picked up by Inside Higher Ed in a very brief news post. So brief is that post that I almost missed the most exciting and potentially transformative element of this initiative.
UNSH’s initiative is loaded with potential and will be an initiative to watch because it connects Open Educational Resources, Open Access and most excitingly they conceptualize it as “promoting new, collaborative approaches to learning,” in other words Open Pedagogy. I also noticed that in Chancellor Todd Leach’s quote he uses the term “open source education” which has been proposed by others as a potentially useful, relatable way to talk about these movements.
Plymouth State University co-director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Scott Robinson’s quote really hits the nail on the head about what is so unique, exciting and radical about this initiative.
“We have seen very successful OER programs at many institutions, but they have mainly focused on lowering textbook costs for students. While that is an important objective, we believe the broader scope of open education has the power to radically transform higher education, both improving access and making it a learner-driven process that emphasizes collaboration and connected learning. Our vision of open education prioritizes sharing newly created knowledge with the general public in service to the greater good.”
