Equity and Access as Keys for Opening Open Learning

This chapter adopts a critical perspective of how open education (OE), based on the principles of equity and access, aligns with the mega-drivers of contemporary higher education. These include key drivers of OE such as lifelong learning, self-directed career development and credentialing. The process of synthesising learning, work and transition within what is described as the ‘conceptual age' of work, is daunting to the majority of members of the workforce globally. A combination of regulation, academic dogma underpinning traditional university models and rigid assumptions as to the nature of knowledge frustrate the promotion of OE. This case study explores a work-based learning (WBL) university program designed to broaden access and equity to universities within the context of mega-drivers shaping higher education demand. The model complements rather than competes with traditional university offerings and represents a pragmatic response to the barriers to participation and OE principles.

Toward an Open Empowered Learning Model of Pedagogy in Higher Education

This chapter will explore some of the emerging trends in higher education worldwide brought by opening up education, including open educational resources (OER), open educational practices (OEP) and massive open online courses (MOOCs). These trends are transforming and challenging the traditional values and structures of universities, including curriculum design, pedagogies, and approaches to recognise and accredit learning assisted by OEP. We will also reflect on ways in which OEP, open ecosystems and the recognition of open learning experiences can further support learners, educators and educational institutions. In doing so, we will revise and re-work a learner centred model (Smyth, 2011) to incorporate some of the current transformation brought by openness. The revised model, called Open Empowered Learning Model, will prompt discussion on alternative ways in which learners, educators and educational institutions could take full advantage of these new trends.

Re-Purposing MOOCs and OER for Academic Credit in the UK Using a Flexible Work Based Learning Program at an English University

The rapid development of open educational resources (OER) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) has resulted for the first time in high quality higher education learning materials being freely available to anyone in the world who has access to the internet. While the emphasis in the literature is principally upon such matters as technology and cost pressures, rather less attention has been paid to ways in which pedagogical practices can be adapted to address these changes. This chapter reports on a UK university where innovative pedagogical practices have developed over a twenty-year period, which enables such adaptation. The development of a flexible work based learning framework enables the exploitation of these developments for the benefit of learners, tutors, and the university. The case study also highlights the importance of quality assurance and cost as key to competitive advantage in an increasingly globalised context.

Rediscovering the North American Legacy of Self-Initiated Learning in Prior Learning Assessments

Throughout history, particularly in the United States, adults have engaged in deliberate acts of learning so as to meet their particular needs or interests. Education has been viewed simply as an integral part of being alive and, until the professionalisation of adult education, adults were considered competent self-reliant learners. In this chapter, we will argue, firstly, that this legacy is continued when prior learning assessments of student-initiated learning do not match extant, already-established knowledge. Secondly, this chapter posits that the recognition of uniquely acquired knowledge is not only appropriate within the university setting, but that the process itself may begin to free the university from an unhealthy preoccupation with what is already known and open it up further to new and multiple ways of knowing.

eRPL and ePR in Higher Education Contexts

This chapter focuses on the use of ePortfolios in the recognition of prior learning (RPL) and professional recognition (PR) within higher education contexts. The term eRPL refers to the recognition practice of utilising ePortfolios for RPL and similarly, ePR refers to the use of ePortfolios for PR. Both are relatively new phenomenon and a developing field of practice and utility. The eRecognition framework developed by Cameron (2012) is built upon to explore the utility of ePortfolios across higher education through a content analysis of papers presented at the ePortfolio and Identity Conference (ePIC) from 2008 to 2012 (n=307) and articles published in the newly established International Journal of ePortfolios from 2011 to 2013 (n=31). Harris's (2000) boundaries and boundary-work framework is applied to position eRecognition practices within the contemporary educational context and the challenges and changes being brought upon educational practices and structures through the open learning movement.

Conceptualising Recognition of Prior Learning Processes in the Age of Open Learning

This chapter interrogates what recognition of prior learning (RPL) can and does mean in the higher education sector—a sector in the grip of the widening participation agenda and an open access age. The chapter discusses how open learning is making inroads into recognition processes and examines two studies in open learning recognition. A case study relating to e-portfolio-style RPL for entry into a Graduate Certificate in Policy and Governance at a metropolitan university in Queensland is described. In the first instance, candidates who do not possess a relevant Bachelor degree need to demonstrate skills in governmental policy work in order to be eligible to gain entry to a Graduate Certificate (at Australian Qualifications Framework Level 8) (Australian Qualifications Framework Council, 2013, p. 53). The chapter acknowledges the benefits and limitations of recognition in open learning and those of more traditional RPL, anticipating future developments in both (or their convergence).

Quality Assessment and Certification in Open Scholarly Publishing and Inspiration for MOOC Credentialing

This chapter looks at the changing landscape of quality assessment and certification/credentialing in open knowledge systems by a comparative study between open publishing and open education. Despite the disruptive changes driven by open publishing in scholarly communication, it is challenging to develop widely accepted methods for quality assessment and certification. Similar challenges exist in open education platforms like the massive open online course (MOOC). This work reviews four types of innovations in open publishing in terms of quality control, namely “light touch” peer review, post-publication assessment, social peer review, and open peer review. Synthesising the principles and strategies of these innovations, it discusses how they might be inspiring for developing solutions and models for MOOC assessment and credentialing. This chapter concludes by suggesting future research directions. It argues that the open initiatives are co-evolving with the “traditional” systems and integrating with the established models.

Open-Sourced Personal, Networked Learning and Higher Education Credentials

Much has been made about the “disruption” afforded by open learning to higher education. While it is the case that open learning offers opportunities for free content and courses within university studies, self-determined student-generated learning has yet to create meaningful pathways towards credentialing in higher education. In this chapter we explore open learning and a learning journey through an Imaginarium from the perspective of a citizen in the context of a global human rights campaign. The chapter speculates the possibilities for gaining recognition of graduate attributes developed informally outside the institution, yet weaving through open education resources, when the citizen applies to study in an Australian University. We conclude by arguing the importance of seeing emerging developments in Australia related to open learning, micro-credentials, aligned learning outcomes (ALOs) and criterion referenced assessments (CRAs) through a recognition lens.

Considerations of Self in Recognising Prior Learning and Credentialing

Discussions about recognition of prior learning (RPL) and credentialing frequently focus on issues of equivalency and rigour, rather than the effects of assessment on self-structure. Yet, such processes invite reflexive self-assessment that results in either a conformational or destabilising effect on self-identity. Those interested in RPL therefore need to understand how the process impacts on self and how learner needs associated with those impacts may be met. This chapter explores the self as a sub-text within the RPL process and argues that learners should be viewed as holistic and complex beings and that educational strategies can meet multiple objectives that extend beyond the educational domain, potentially creating an overlap with learners' mental health. The authors encourage policies and practices that validate the individual and enhance the possibility of developmental self-growth. A learner-centred ethic that meets the dual needs of learners to obtain credit and achieve self-development is proposed.

Developing a Transdisciplinary Work-Based Learning Curriculum

Middlesex University's transdisciplinary work-based learning curriculum framework is presented as a coherent and innovative means to provide flexible and open learning opportunities for those in work. The chapter describes the underpinning theory that constitutes the work-based learning field of study as well as the structure and components of the curriculum framework. Through illustrative case studies, the chapter demonstrates how the Middlesex transdisciplinary framework has provided opportunities for a variety of working learners to gain access to higher education qualifications that would otherwise have been closed. Each case study illustrates a different aspect of the framework and how it has operated to create opportunities for open learning and credentialing at the level of the individual, the organisation and, lastly, within an industry sector. This demonstrates the potential for transferability of some of the principles and approaches to other higher education curricular settings.