Content and learning

The open education resources (OER) movement continues to gain momentum - Open Yale, MIT OCW, Connexions, Open Learn - the list goes on. Sadly, Canada - Land of Common Sense - has only one institution (Capilano College) with an OER initiative according to OCW Consortium. This week, with a mix of applause and criticism, the The Cape Town Declaration was released as “a statement of principle, a statement of strategy and a statement of commitment” on open education resources.
It’s vital to note that open access to content is but the first step on a long journey. How our institutions change in a culture of collaboration, how teaching as an act changes, how learners are accredited - these are the real areas of change. Open content is an important start. But it is a foundation on which a new structure of education can be built. We need to start having that discussion.