The UNESCO OER Dynamic Coalition organized a webinar on 27 September 2021 to examine two main questions: Has the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a renewed interest in OER? What have been the bottlenecks and solutions for the implementation of this normative instrument since 2020?
The pandemic has triggered a consensus at governmental and institutional levels on a strong need to develop OER.
The UNESCO OER Dynamic Coalition Advisory Group Members, representing OER Experts and Governmental Partners from all UNESCO regions intervened in this panel discussion which examined implementation of the five areas of this normative instrument through the lens of these two guiding questions.
The debates emphasised the crucial role of OER in ensuring continuity of formal and informal learning and the transformative power of OER during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, where online and digital learning became the new normal for learning worldwide. Bottlenecks include the issue of access to resources and internet, and the challenges of ensuring resources in the languages and context of the users.
The adoption of OER policies that build on existing policies, using 'open' initiatives and OER sharing and access platforms, producing off-line resources and building support for a common cause including OER were cited as innovations and solutions for the implementation of the OER Recommendation. .
Speakers highlighted the policy potential of university peer networks, the influence of governmental policy approaches on institutions. Regarding the adaptation of OER to different languages, the debates underscored the need to ensure adoption both at a contextual and pedagogical level for success. In addition, international collaboration based on an intersecting bottom-up and top-down approaches were highlighted. .
This webinar was organized as part of the Open Education 2021 Conference hosted by the University of Nantes, France. The focus of the Open Education Global 2021 Conference is on the implementation of the OER Recommendation. It is being held online from 27 September to 1 October 2021.
Background
UNESCO's Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER) is the only normative instrument in the field of technology and education. It identifies five areas for action:
- capacity building to create, access, reuse, adapt and redistribute OER;
- supportive policy;
- inclusive and equitable access to quality OER;
- sustainability models for OER; and
- international cooperation.
The OER Dynamic Coalition was created following the adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on OER by Member States at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2019. The aim of the Dynamic Coalition is to support governments in the implementation of the OER Recommendation by promoting and strengthening international and regional cooperation among all stakeholders in the first four areas of the UNESCO OER Recommendation.