OpenEdu Policies (2016-2017)
OpenEdu Policies was a follow-up project to the OpenEdu framework. My role was project leader and principal researcher. The goal was to analyse and understand the policies on open education implemented at national level in EU Members States. It was a comprehensive project of all the 28 Member States (UK included). There have been two outcomes, referred to as ‘twin reports’: ‘Going Open: Policy Recommendation on Open Education in Europe’ and ‘Policy Approaches to Open Education in Europe: Case Studies from 28 EU Member States‘
The research developed for the project puts forward the idea that education is an increasingly important part of how educational institutions deliver their public mission and commit to increased quality and more effective education, and it is also a potential means of achieving social inclusion and equal opportunities. Open educational practices provide paths for educational institutions to be more accountable to society, they modernise education by embracing the use of digital technologies, and they also promote transparent strategies.Going open is a process for all involved: institutions, learners and society. It depends on creating both digital and non-digital opportunities to make education more collaborative, more transparent and more inclusive. Open education needs support from policies, via a multi-stakeholder approach, that can act systemically to further advance open education in Member States and create an “open education ecosystem”.