Of one Accord: open education, sector-wide collaboration, and meeting government mandates (Prof. Helen Partridge and Adrian Stagg, 15 September, 1:30 – 2:30 pm AEST)

CAULLT Grant Series

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Open education has been researched, practised, and funded in Australia for over a decade.  In the same time, an increasingly marketised higher education sector has been focused by the Federal Government on performance metrics such as access, participation, retention, progression, student achievement, employability, and inclusion.  At every stage, open educational practices were potential avenues to realising authentic impact in these areas, yet awareness remains critically low. In contrast, Open Access research has received high visibility and support – linked to increased readership, wider dissemination, attracting international partnerships, and as a driver for industry collaboration and commercialisation.

As the sector moves toward an Accord that promises to close the gap between teaching and learning, and research, an opportunity emerges to profile – through institutional cooperation – open educational practices (OEP) and the benefits to universities, staff, students, and society. This session will outline the connections between OEP and the goals of Australian higher education, offer practical, achievable ‘calls to action’, and draw on international programs and research to evidence impact.

Presenter

Professor Helen Partridge (Deakin University)

Professor Helen Partridge is the Pro Vice-Chancellor Teaching and Learning at Deakin University. Prior to this she was the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University of Southern Queensland where she had oversight of the University Library Services, Office for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching, and the Open Access College. Professor Partridge’s research explores the interplay between information, technology and learning. She investigates the ways people experience information and/or technology to learn as students, as professionals, and as people in their everyday life. Professor Partridge has been a visiting Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and the Berkmein Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University. In 2008 she was selected to be a National Fellow of the Australian Learning & Teaching Council (ALTC), and was later commissioned by the to write a Best Practice Report on Blended Learning to guide Australian higher education. Connect with Professor Partridge on Twitter at @partridh

Adrian Stagg (University of Southern Queensland)

Adrian is the Manager (Open Educational Practices) for the University of Southern Queensland. His career has included both public and academic libraries, and positions as a Learning Technologist, and eLearning Designer.  Adrian has recently submitted his PhD thesis to the University of Tasmania, focusing on the ecology of open educational practices in Australian higher education. He is an active member of the open education community through the Australasian OEP Special Interest Group (ASCILITE), OERu, Creative Commons, and facilitates the USQ Open Education Staff Scholarships Scheme.