This document discusses open educational resources (OERs) and how they are mediated through various processes and institutions. It examines definitions of OERs from organizations like the Hewlett Foundation and OECD. It also explores the discourses around OERs, including institutional discourse around widening access to education and a marketing discourse focused on reputation and markets. Additionally, it analyzes how OERs are mediated within educational institutions and across communities through collaboration, cultural exchange, and networks of improvement.

1. Mediating Open Education: popular discourses, situated policies & institutional practices for participatory learning MeCCSA 2010: Media, Communication, Policy and Practice 6-8 Jan, London School of Economics Dr Panagiota Alevizou [email_address] IET, olnet.org

2. Overview

4. Projects comprise of

5. Expanded from Marguliers’ (2005) conceptual mapping of OERs (2005; see also OECD, 2007, Conole and Weller, 2008) Implementation bodies inter-governmental organisations, consortia, translation bodies, policy and funding institutions

6. Mediation Processes Or Learning Media?

7. Case Studies

12. Discourses in OER Santos, 2008

14. The marketing discourse OpenLearn […] Could be a way of building markets, synergies and reputation (AL: OL) OpenER modules have worked well as course tasters (RS: OPENER) MIT department heads believe that MIT OCW is a tool that indirectly aids in recruitment (SC: MIT OCW)

15. Collaboration, cultural exchange, community [We are] targeting existing communities and we show them some value in terms of adopting or doing some things here. The value might be different for different discipline groups, for different audiences … whether it’s …Union Learning, the University of the Third Age, or a local community here, or another university there it’s very much say…. here’s the resource, you make use of …we show what it is to do it, you can try experimenting with it and feed back (AL: OpenLearn) Cultural bias is addressed when different types of knowledge(s) are exchanged and transparently mediated the platform (CN; OER Africa talking about the Health OER Inter-Institutional Project)

16. Collaborations

17. Cross fertilisation & synergy

18. Faculty Incentives: credit, recognition Some educators are interested in contributing their work in Connexions, because it’s a way of gaining notoriety. So they’ll publish something there because it’s an opportunity for an outlet where they can get recognised globally . (JT: Connexions) When people invest time and resources, they can see a tangible benefit; these could relate to students feeling that they are better educated; […] it depends on the institution having created a policy environment that is supporting of faculty having dedicated their time and energy; there’s renumeration, promotion, credit in some way or the other… (CN: OER Africa)

19. Audience/use inscriptions in OER Experimentation Prod-use Remix

21. User augmented content

25. Thank you! p.alevizou@open.ac.uk