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What Is Open Education?
The term ‘open education’ refers to the free exchange of educational ideas among universities, organizations, educators, and students. The widespread use of the Internet has made it possible for these groups to collaborate more efficiently than ever before and create a robust system that benefits everyone. According to Chris Lehmann, “[T]eachers have long known that the best methods of teaching are only made better with collaboration with peers.” This collaboration forms the core of open education.
Open education takes shape in the form of open educational resources, or OERs. There are three different types of OERs:
- Learning content, which may include journals, collections, and open courseware.
- Learning tools, which may include software, content management systems, content development, and publishing and development initiatives.
- Implementation resources, which may include intellectual property licenses, design principles, and localization of content.
Wide Open Education’s focus will be on all of these aspects of open education as well as any tangentially-related matters. Enjoy!
