By Ashley Breton
April 17, 2021
Image by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels.com
As I sit down to write my first blog post, I am filled with the feeling you get when you move into a new place. You have the keys in your hand; now it is time to put your stamp on it, to make it feel like home.
After participating in the MALAT 2021 Virtual Symposium this past week, I have explored many different interpretations of openness in the context of education. If you had asked me to define open education (OE) before the Virtual Symposium, I would have provided you with a vague definition, something like education for all. Admittedly, I was unaware of just how BIG this topic was.
Below you will find a visual representation of open education as I perceive it, using information gathered from several Virtual Symposium webinars from 2017-2021, as well as a summary of open education’s key concepts.
Click here to see my visual representation using Mindmeister. I would like to acknowledge Cindy Harris for inspiring me to try out this great new tool.
Image by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels.com
History
In the late 1960’s, the basis of what open means in higher education began when the first Open University was founded in the UK. It defined open as meaning open access and opportunity, which was achieved by admitting students without prior qualifications (Morgan, 2020). But with the arrival of new media and technologies (e.g. social media, multimedia, and cell phones), what it means to be “open” in the context of education has started to change (Wiley, 2010).
Image by Artem Beliaikin from Pexels.com
To define or not define? That is the question…
Unlike the structured learning process we are all familiar with; open education is not easily defined. There will always be varying levels of openness because no teaching system is one-hundred percent open (Bates, 2015). Despite the multitude of definitions for it, open education is a conversation all educators should be a part of as it affects both teaching and learning practices, policy, and culture (Cronin, 2017). Clint Lalonte (2018) lists three principal influences or pillars of open education, which are helpful in determining the openness of a program or system. But what does open education look like for the participant?
Looking at open education from a student perspective, we see it involves “the removal of barriers to learning” (Coolidge, 2021), including: admission without prior qualifications, affordability, free from bias and discrimination, and inclusivity for students with learning disabilities through design modifications (Bates, 2015). Here we see examples of open education become more useful than the academic definitions themselves (Morgan, 2020). Above all else, the end goal here is to ensure that no one is denied access.
But if we stop and look at my visual representation, we see there are still many challenges, so how do we begin to capture and understand these problems and co-create open learning environments that are more inclusive, equitable, and support diversity?
Image by Ivan Bertolazzi from Pexels.com
Be the change
Now that we are all a part of this open online learning platform, it is important that we continue to unpack the nature of open education, and all of its challenges, as it will likely help set the scene for LRNT521 and future courses. But the question now begs, why is this conversation so necessary to anyone interested in the future of teaching and learning?
First, with populations rising, improved quality of life everywhere, easier access to technology, we will likely see continued growth in the number of university applicants worldwide. As building more universities is not a feasible option to handle these growing demands for education, online universities will likely carry the brunt of this burden.
Second, even if we return to face-to-face classrooms, I believe the expectations of teachers and students will likely have changed. Old ways of learning involving teacher-centric practices and a classroom full of passive learners will likely take a back seat to more open and fluid learning environments where more collaborative learning can take place. Old norms that surround time, place, and location will likely no longer have relevance.
It then becomes imperative for us to think critically about how we address these changes. As “solution architects” (Pearson, 2021), it will be our choices regarding openness that will affect future learning, teaching, policy, and culture (Cronin, 2017). We need to keep in mind that the decisions we make today can have serious consequences for all us all in the future (Hodson, 2018).
As graduate students, it becomes our responsibility to dig in and think critically about how we want to participate in this new ever-changing environment because it will determine how well we can prepare our current and future students to develop their own voice and agency, so they too can co-create culture and knowledge in safe, inclusive spaces (Hodson, 2018; Cronin, 2017).
Image by Ivan Bertolazzi from Pexels.com
An open mind is like an open window
I came into this conversation with very little understanding of open education. After a week of immersing myself in the subject matter, I feel better prepared to contribute to this ongoing discussion, and even find myself wandering off to learn more about open education and open educational resources (OER) so that one day I can co-create learning opportunities with my students. For anyone interested in English as a Second Language OER, click here.
As this blog feels more like home over the next two years, I plan to stretch myself and my degree of openness. By being more open and authentic as educators, we are being offered the opportunity to “build stronger relationships with one another and achieve greater success.” (Harris, 2021). I will reflect on what kind of digital presence I want to cultivate as I go deeper into this program, and figure out what kind of impact I want to have on those around me, because as Catherine Cronin (2017) explains, only through purposeful reflection can we begin to develop an open identity and open practices.
References
Bates, T (2015). What do we mean by ‘open’ in education? Online learning and Distance Education Resources, Accessed on April 15, 2021 from: https://www.tonybates.ca/2015/02/16/what-do-we-mean-by-open-in-education/
Cormier, D. (2017, April 18). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Values of open, (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on April 11, 2021 from: https://malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca/lrnt521/dave-cormier-virtual-symposium-presentation/
Cronin, C. (2017, April 20). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Choosing open, (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on April 12, 2021 from: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca/lrnt521/catherine-cronin-choosing-open/
Harris, C. (2021, April 14). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Technical Training Asc Manager Lockheed Martin Canada (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on April 14, 2021 from: https://ca.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/
Hodson, J. (2018, April 16). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Mindful social media engagement in an age of Cambridge Analytica, (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on March 8, 2021 from: https://ca.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/
Lalonte, C. (2018, April 19). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Sharing and CC licensing (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on April 12, 2021 from: https://ca.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/
Pearson, R. (2021, April 16). MALAT Virtual Symposium: Reflections on a career in learning and technology (webinar). Royal Roads University, Accessed on April 16, 2021 from: https://ca.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/
Wiley, D. (2010). ‘Open education and the future’ (video). Accessed on April 15, 2021 from: (150) TEDxNYED – David Wiley – 03/06/10 – YouTube
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