Associated Projects

Open Ed. Resources Encourage Teachers to Tinker

Educators often argue that they need more control over the development of the curriculum they are teaching. Open education resources may be the answer, said several educators during presentations at the Open Education Conference here in Vancouver on Tuesday.

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Cynthia Jimes, the director of research at the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, or ISKME, which operates the OER Commons, spoke at that session about the institute's work mapping out the different types of recognition that students are receiving for open courses. Three types of recognition have emerged, she said, ranging from digital badges to certificates of completion to formal degrees and course credit. How closely the organization providing the open courses is associated with a formal school system (be it K-12 or higher ed.) typically determines which type of recognition the student receives, with the closest associated partnerships receiving degrees and course credit and the organizations most distanced from formal institutions of learning awarding badges or certificates of completion.

 

Publication Date: 
October 17, 2012