CAS Digital Learning in Emergencies (2022-23)/module4-Taam

Openness in science: the case of research labs

Introduction

Research is considered an arena of science. Research, on the other hand, does not start from scratch, neither does it start by uneducated people. The research is initiated from knowledge acquired by researchers in school and university, i.e. through education. At the same time, research produces knowledge for learners and instructors in school and university, that is for education. Thus, it is a continuum in which education leads to science and science serves education. As put by Inserm, “beginning from what is already known [education], scientists ask questions, construct hypotheses, and develop experiments that will generate new knowledge [education]” (Inserm, 2021).

Edu-Sci Continuum

Overall objective

Be aware of Open Education and Open Science concepts and practices

Learning outcomes

 Identify key concepts and practices of open movement.

 Appraise examples of research practices from the openness perspective.

Activities

 Develop an openness analysis framework (OAF);

 Look up a convenient sample of cognitive neuroscience research labs (CNRLs) using Google and Bing search engines;

 List sample’s elements in a directory or catalogue form that can describe to others what each is about and guide them to how to reach out to it;

 Analyse the sample of CNRLs using OAF; and

 Produce a taxonomic outline of openness in CNRLs’ research practices (expected result).

Evaluation

The evaluation of OERs & OEPs found will depend on a rubric underpinned by the sharing value. Sharing comes at the heart of all openness values when it encompasses all components of the subject matter like objectives or purposes, contents, method (methodology), tools, results and documentation. Therefore, preliminarily, the rubric can look as follows:

 Fully open: All objectives or purposes, contents, method (methodology/pedagogy), tools, results and publications are publicly shared.

 Almost fully open: All parts of the system, but objectives/purposes, are shared.

 Quite open: Content, results and publications are shared.

 Open a little: Only contents or publications are shared.

 Virtually closed: Nothing shared, but some titles or links.

 Closed: Nothing shared other than the names or titles of research project.

For illustration, these are a few preliminary examples

Illustrative Application of Evaluation Rubric

Openness Level	Home	Unit	Lab	Publications	Projects
Open a little	Arizona State University	Dept of Psychology	Decision Neuroscience Laboratory	Has access links to full articles	Only titles
Virtually closed			Learning and Development Lab	Links to journals, but no access	Only titles
Open a little			Memory and Attention Control Lab	Has access links to full articles	Only titles
Quite open	University of Missouri	School of Medicine	Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory	Refers to government medicine library with almost all full articles are accessible	Shows progress and results of research (see example)
Closed	Boston Children's Hospital	Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience	The Wilkinson Laboratory for early language acquisition and cognition	No reference to any.	No reference to any.
Closed			The Nelson Laboratory for brain and behaviour development in infants and children	No reference to any	No reference to any.

References

Inserm (2021). Research continuum. Online source available at https://www.inserm.fr/en/our-research/research-continuum/. Accessed on 20.12.2022.