Open science and OER: where do they intersect?

Open science and OER are based on similar legal, technical, and social drivers, but in what ways are they actually compatible efforts?

The word "open" as been appended to myriad phenomena to date, ranging from "open access" to "open government"to "open source software." But while there are certainly some fundamental characteristics which are shared across these diverse applications of the word "open," each of these "open"efforts may not be so seamlessly interoperable as we might think.

In this session, we will closely examine the intersection of ?open science? and ?OER?. Open science is a catch-all term that generally refers to the democratization of the capacity for anyone to ?do? science (e.g., ?citizen science? efforts in fields from astronomy to ecology to meteorology) as well as the elimination of the barriers to accessing the outputs of scientific research (e.g., research papers, datasets, etc). ?Open research? and ?open data? are, respectively, broader and narrower terms that overlap with the open science meme. The term ?OER? generally refers to the openly licensed teaching, learning, and research resources used in the service of education, though the term has also been used as shorthand for ?open education? and related concepts that go beyond the materials of education and include educational practices, policies, and infrastructure.

To better understand the points of overlap among these two concepts, we will attempt to diagram different facets of each effort, considering the key drivers, barriers, and current initiatives in each case. For example, many scientists remain skeptical about open science because the concept seems at odds with the need for scientific expertise and precision, such as for experimental design and analysis. Similarly, many producers of educational resources remain skeptical of OER because they have questions about quality, accuracy, and the locus of responsibility for the content. But these seemingly overlapping areas of skepticism are actually directed at very different aspects of each enterprise, and they are likely to demand different solutions and different messaging. As we outline and then consider the different facets of the processes of science and education, we are hoping to better discern how the open science and OER communities may be able to build on shared messaging and developments, or may be better served by pursuing some agendas separately.

Speakers: Ahrash Bissell, Philipp Schmidt

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People & Blogs

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