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OpenER: a Dutch initiative on OER. ‘Bridging informal and formal learning’. Robert Schuwer . Agenda. Motivation for the project Main characteristics of the project Current experiences Future scenarios. Setting the scene. A little story. Motivation for the project (1).
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OpenER: a Dutch initiative on OER ‘Bridging informal and formal learning’ Robert Schuwer
Agenda • Motivation for the project • Main characteristics of the project • Current experiences • Future scenarios
Setting the scene A little story
Motivation for the project (1) • 2000 / Lisbon Agreement: How can we increase the number of people with higher education? • Bring more non-traditional groups (i.e. employed and unemployed people) to higher education • Extend opportunities for lifelong learning based, amongst others, on an e-learning approach
Motivation for the project (2) • Lowering existing tresholds: institutional, formal, financial, social, time, place, pace • Making access easy and attractive • Transfer from informal to formal learning
Main characteristics of the project • Flexible, open, time-independent, easy accessible • Only invest time and effort • Research and measurements of effectiveness around the project • Dutch language
Intended outcomes • 16 courses of 25 study hours each (= 1 EC) • a user-friendlyon-line delivery system • user-friendly on-line facilities for self-testing and assessment • opportunities for formal testing and certification as a starting point for higher education study • substantial marketing and communication to create awareness with the Dutch population about OpenER and the OUNL
Current experiences (1) • 250.000 unique visitors since launch • A lot of media attention from local and national press, radio and television • > 3400 visitors have registered (voluntarily) • > 340 survey forms have been submitted • Numerous feedback forms
Current experiences (2) • Personal data • 71% of the population aged 25-55 years • 43% did not participate in higher education before
Current experiences (3) • Data of visit to website • 80% returning visitors • Reasons for visit (>1 choice) • follow a free course: 64%. • test on ability to cope with university courses: 23% • try out a study at the Open Universiteit Nederland: 43% • reuse the material in their own courses: 5%.
Current experiences (4) • Use of material • 20% did not look through any course • 37% browsed through a course • 43% studied a course
Current experiences (5) • Study plans • 75% is currently not involved in any formal learning trajectory • 18% is currently involved in some form of higher education • 16% has plans for starting a formal study in higher education • 38% has plans for buying courses on the level of higher education • 71% indicated that this project affects their further study plans
OpenER after 2007 • Scenarios • OU makes higher education borderless and attractive for non-traditional groups • OU is director for development of open learning material for higher education in the Netherlands • OU is director for offering open selfstudy learning material internationally
OpenER after 2007 (2) • Scenarios (cont’d) • OU is the knowledge center for development and offering of student centered open learning material in the Netherlands • OU is nationally and internationally leading in educational research around open learning material