scholarly journals Open Universities and Open Educational Practices

Author(s):  
Irwin J. DeVries

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of how open universities depict their current institutional engagement in open educational practices. In view of the growth of programming for non-traditional students by conventional universities, particularly through online learning and increasing interest in open educational practices, the intention is to gain a better understanding of the unique contributions currently made, or potentially to be made, by open universities in comparison to conventional universities. The study is conducted through a content analysis of open university websites, exploring key themes related to access-oriented open educational practices derived from terms and related concepts in relevant literature. With the growth of distance education, online learning, and other emerging access-oriented open educational practices in traditional higher education, open universities should be uniquely situated to provide visible leadership in these domains. The open university website content analysis explores the extent to which this is the case.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Owen ◽  
Catherine Wasiuk ◽  
Ailsa Nokes ◽  
Sian Roderick

The concepts of learning communities, open educational practices and co-created teaching and learning are topics of current debate, particularly since the switch to online learning in 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study uses student feedback to evaluate a new assessment method introduced within an online distance learning Master of Public Health programme. The assessment required students to blog about their motivations for studying public health, submitting their reflections to an open online platform, resulting in the co-creation of a shared, open-learning resource for current and future students. The assessment design was informed by the benefits of open educational practices and co-created teaching and learning, with the overall aim of developing an online learning community that will continue to grow and develop beyond the initial assessment and cohort. Feedback suggests that the open, reflective nature of the assessment had a positive impact on the student learning experience and contributed towards a sense of learning community through enhanced social cohesion within the group.


Author(s):  
Gregory L. Waddoups ◽  
Scott L. Howell

The primary purpose of Brigham Young University (BYU) is to provide students with a combination of sacred and secular education often described as the “BYU experience.” Achieving this purpose is challenged by the rapid growth in Church membership and an enrollment cap of 30,000 students. To address these challenges, BYU sponsors the use of technology to bridge the gap between the increased Church membership and the number of students allowed under the enrollment caps. This institutional case study shows how these challenges have influenced the hybridization of teaching and learning for on campus (resident) and off campus (distance) students. It also describes how BYU has brought distance education to campus, and is beginning to bring campus-based educational practices to distance education.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Murphy ◽  
Justyna Ciszewska-Carr

<span>This paper reports on a study which contrasts results obtained using semantic and syntactic units of analysis in a context of content analysis of an online asynchronous discussion. The paper presents a review of literature on both types of units. The data set consisted of 80 messages posted by ten participants in an online learning module. Data were coded twice by two coders working independently. In the first instance, each coder divided all messages into semantic units and then coded those units. The second coding was conducted on the basis of a syntactic unit of a paragraph. Analysis at the level of the whole group showed little difference in results between the two types of coding. At the level of individual participants, those differences were greater. Results are discussed within a framework of reliability, capability of the unit to discriminate between behaviors, feasibility of different units, and their identifiability. Implications for research are discussed.</span>


Author(s):  
Pedro Carlos Resende Junior ◽  
André Luiz Nascimento Reis

The aim of this article is to describe the relationship between theoretical knowledge management assumptions and knowledge management process involving Models and Awards for Management Excellence in Latin America.  Relevant literature was reviewed by carrying out a survey based on document analysis involving requirement of models and awards for excellence in management in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. This research study used qualitative data-collecting methods by means of a content analysis technique, carried out between February 2013 and December 2014.  The corpus was treated by using a content analysis technique, where categories of analysis were codified based on criteria, items and management process requirements of the models investigated. The findings show that the mains theoretical knowledge management assumptions are present, in some degree, in models of management excellence in Latin America, but highlight the fact that these models present different structure and maturity levels, some of which combine knowledge management with strategic perspectives and innovation management. This survey made it possible to produce consistent analyses based on pre-existing models that consider knowledge management as the basis of organization.


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