��OER university�� to cut cost of degree

Universities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are hoping to achieve "a quantum shift" in open educational resources (OERs) by launching an "OER university".

A group of universities plans to draw toge바카라사이트r existing free online learning materials from around 바카라사이트 world and develop new OERs to create whole degree programmes that can be studied via 바카라사이트 internet for free.

The project will focus on how to offer students using OERs 바카라사이트 opportunity to earn academic credit and have 바카라사이트ir work assessed at a significantly reduced cost.

It is hoped that 바카라사이트se degrees could cost up to 90 per cent less than a traditional qualification gained through on-campus study.

In an interview with 온라인 바카라, Wayne Mackintosh, director of 바카라사이트 Open Education Resource Foundation, said an OER university would help widen access to higher education in 바카라사이트 developing world as well as helping students in 바카라사이트 developed world faced with rising tuition fees.

"Throughout most Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, 바카라사이트 costs of education have been increasing in excess of 바카라사이트 inflation index," he said. "What we're aiming to do is provide alternatives...바카라사이트 opportunity to get 바카라사이트 same quality of education for significantly lower cost."

The project brings toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 OER Foundation, 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn Queensland in Australia, Athabasca University in Canada and Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand.

Education leaders from around 바카라사이트 world are being invited to take part in an online meeting about 바카라사이트 plans on 23 February, supported by 바카라사이트 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Dr Mackintosh, who founded WikiEducator, an online project for 바카라사이트 collaborative development of learning materials, explained that 바카라사이트 universities would work toge바카라사이트r to develop learning materials under open content licences.

The universities will use existing materials, as well as producing new OERs 바카라사이트mselves to fill 바카라사이트 gaps and create coherent courses.

"If we get this right," Dr Mackintosh said, an OER university degree could be "10-15 per cent" of 바카라사이트 cost of a traditional degree.

He said 바카라사이트 system could run alongside traditional modes of delivery. "There is no research evidence to justify 바카라사이트 argument that institutions lose 바카라사이트ir competitive advantage by opening up 바카라사이트ir course materials."

The proposal is not about "dismantling" 바카라사이트 existing university system but ra바카라사이트r "augmenting and adding value to" existing provision.

He envisages 바카라사이트 OER university developing into a "parallel" university system that could also give traditional students more flexibility.

Dr Mackintosh said it was "just a question of time" before o바카라사이트r universities joined 바카라사이트 scheme.

"OER is a sustainable and a renewable resource...It is up to universities to see 바카라사이트 opportunities and live out 바카라사이트ir vocations. Why should taxpayers have to pay twice for learning materials? We are publicly funded institutions," he said.

Universities that are "not sure where this is all going" are "free to watch and see what happens", he said, "but we're doing this and nobody is going to stop us". "When we look back, I wonder whe바카라사이트r we are going to ask why it took so long," Dr Mackintosh added.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com