Open Education

Introduction

Open Education (OE) is an umbrella term as Open Science is. It is thus diverse and connected to many fields and domains, all having in common the “Open” aspect, cf. https://paulgstacey.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/landscapeofopenstacey.jpg .

Understandings about "Openness" is an on-going process tackled from many perspectives.

Reflection about potential underlying epistemologies of OE

Questioning the dominant model

How academic knowledge was gained and research conducted in the recent past (approximately two centuries) is questioned today. It is questioned because it considers the dominant model of positivism – that advocates for objectivity and neutrality of knowledge to be generalised – as the sole valid one (Brière, Lieutenant-Gosselin & Piron, 2019). Several research domains - e.g. social studies of sciences, history of sciences, decolonising studies – criticise it for conveying “institutional positivism” (Piron, 2019). The gaining interest of epistemic justice as a research and social topic is an example of this movement (e.g. Eve & Gray, 2020; Kidd, Medina & Pohlhaus, 2017) against prevalent scientific knowledge production models.

UNESCO (2020)’s recent Open Science draft definition is also very insightful in this respect. It stresses the importance of acknowledging the diversity of knowledge: “For the purposes of this Recommendation, ‘Open Science’ means a complex of at least the following key elements: Open Access, Open Data, Open Source/Software and Open Hardware, Open Science Infrastructures, Open Evaluation, Open Educational Resources, Open Engagement of Societal Actors, Openness to Diversity of Knowledge, Openness to Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Openness to all Scholarly Knowledge and Inquiry”.

Epistemologies available in research methods textbooks

Research method textbook commonly cite positivism, constructivism, the transformative view and pragmatism as the main epistemologies (e.g. Creswell & Cresswell, 2018). The transformative epistemological assumption gives centre stage to meaning of knowledge seen from diverse and multiple socio-economico-cultural-etc. lenses and power inequities (Mertens, 2017). The transformative paradigm gained increased interest in the last part of the XXth century and seeks to advance both a research and a societal agenda. Linguistically speaking, it is interesting to notice that the transformative worldview is the only epistemology commonly cited in textbooks that is not composed in an -ism form. -ism suffix “is used in the composition of words designating philosophical or political schools of thought. Many of these words were created in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to name the vast movements of ideas that built and accompanied these two centuries. Their radical can be an adjective (heliocentrism, chauvinism, colonialism), a common noun (anarchism, cubism, centrism), a proper noun (Gaullism, Darwinism, Marxism). ”

This is our own translation of, “Le suffixe -isme est très productif. Il entre dans la composition de mots désignant des courants de pensée philosophiques ou politiques. Nombre de ces mots ont été créés aux dix-neuvième et vingtième siècles pour nommer les vastes mouvements d’idées qui ont bâti et accompagné ces deux siècles. Leur radical peut être un adjectif (héliocentrisme, chauvinisme, colonialisme), un nom commun (anarchisme, cubisme, centrisme), un nom propre (gaullisme, darwinisme, marxisme). L’abus de ce suffixe pour former des néologismes peu clairs témoigne le plus souvent de paresse dans la recherche de l’expression juste. » http://www.academie-francaise.fr/construction-en-isme

Sociomateriality, epistemologies of the link, humanness and sociology of absences and emersions

Less well-known epistemologies - because they are considered to be part of one of the main above-mentioned families, because they are not Western-thinking-centred or for some other reasons may be interesting to understand underlying values of the Open paradigm. We particularly think of epistemologies related to the network which are largely used and accepted (e.g. actor network theory as stated by Callon, 2006; Latour, 2006). Epistemologies of the link (Piron, 2019) or epistemologies of Ubuntu, humanness (Nabudere, 2005; Ramose, 1999).

For a very brief overview of these three epistemologies, let us mention that Actor-network theory (ANT) is part of sociomateriality. Sociomaterial approaches share three common components. First, they study the system as one entire entity, composed of entangled human and non-human action and knowledge. Second, they focus on interactions and mediations - not on individuals or artefacts. Third, they consider knowledge and learning as embodied and embedded in actions and interactions (Fenwick, Edwards & Sawchuk, 2012). No hierarchy exist and certainly no privileged position for the human over the non-human. Binary categories such as usually discussed - agency-structure; subject-object; theory-practice - are considered not appropriate. The purpose of sociomaterial approaches is related to boundary-making processes and featuring out those which create knowledge. Key technical terms of this approach are assembling / reassembling, dynamics of entities, and, connections, with the aim of tracing how knowledge is produced. ANT in education research addresses flows, connections and interactions between human and material objects enacted for the purpose of learning with the aim of understanding how knowledge is produced (Fenwick, et al., 2012).

Epistemology of the link is inspired from Edgard Morin’s concept of “reliance” (from the French “lier”, linking). It is characterised by thinking in interaction with the human mankind to prevent isolation and considers thinking as an endeavour to make sense in interaction with others. It is on the move, interpretative, connecting, linking and is totally different from dogmas learnt by heart and repeated. It calls upon social and epistemic justice for a humanising science that makes sense in our world and connects ideas and beings (Piron, 2019). It is a call to cease the injunction of separation between the researcher and the object of research that is prevalent in Western epistemic traditions. It is an epistemology in the making that relies on Santos (2016 cited by Piron) call for an ecology of knowledge, an ecosystem in which diverse types of knowledge, without hierarchy, are in dialogue (Piron, 2017, p. 46).

Epistemology of Ubuntu, translated as humanness, “suggests both a condition of being and the state of becoming, of openness or ceaseless unfolding”(Ramose, 2015, p. 69). Ubuntu considers “the universe as a complex wholeness involving the multi-layered and incessant interaction of all entities” (Ramose, 2015, p. 69) – human beings, physical or objective nature. The three driving insights of Ubuntu are: 1) constant motion of “wholes” from generation to death to regeneration; 2) human dignity; 3) mutual care and sharing between human beings and physical nature (Ramose, 2015).

The sociology of absences and emersions is an approach suggested by Boaventura de Sousa Santos. “Sociology of absences focuses on social experiments to explore what exists of the South that is independent from the North/South constructed dichotomy. It is about researching, with non-modern mindsets and epistemologies what exists beyond the abyssal line (Santos, 2016, p. 251 and following). Sociology of emersions aims to symbolically increase the importance of knowledge, practices and actors to identify future trends, on which it is possible to increase the probability of hope against the probability of frustration. It acts on possibilities (potentials) and capacities (legitimate authority, power) and focuses on care, without being deterministic” (Class, 2022).

From epistemologies to theories

From these epistemologies, theories engaging in totally new worldviews and opening new horizons for learning are (re)emerging. The main one is the theory of abundance. It moves away from scarcity and its keyword is “enough”. Enough open and quality networks, resources, institutions, etc. to learn from and be able to grow as a responsible citizen in a knowledge economy in all the places on earth (Caron, 2020; Hoeschele, 2010).

In terms of learning theories, those which are most used and related to abundance theory are probably i) experiential learning (Usher, 2018), ii) social theories of learning like communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 2018) and iii) multiple approaches to understanding (Gardner, 2018).

Conjecturing: underlying epistemologies of the Open paradigm

My conjecture is that the Open paradigm, consciously or unconsciously, takes its roots in transformative epistemologies and in constructiveness. We deliberately call it constructiveness and not constructivism in reference to the above-mentioned reflexion on -ism concepts and to Ramose (2015, p. 69)’s explanation: “It [humanness] is thus opposed to any -ism, including humanism, for this tends to suggest a condition of finality, a closedness or a kind of absolute either incapable of or resistant to any further movement”. In addition, constructiveness is derived from constructive and defined as 1) declared such by judicial construction or interpretation; 2) of or relating to construction or creation; 3) promoting improvement or development, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constructive

Major technological advancements happened in the 1960s-70s-80s-90s, in part thanks to the free software movement. My conjecture is also that technology, such as the creation of the Internet in the 1960s and the world wide web in the 1990s (cf. https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web) , permitted to revive essential features of scientific communities, i.e. transparency, freedom, sharing. Indeed, it is hardly known that scientific articles were public goods until the 1900s (Dulong de Rosnay & Langlais, 2017) and that scientific knowledge circulated freely beforehand. Thus, values of the free software movement, making free software a public good, converged with pre-existing values in scientific communities, resulting in open circulation of knowledge. It is not clear whether Internet is a public good today but originally it was created in that spirit. It is also acknowledged that the web opened a myriad of possibilities, it “became central to public access to the internet and also enabled the creation of a global knowledge network” (Harasim, 2017, p. 26).

Finally, let us keep in mind that it was in the late 90s that the Bologna reform was adopted in European higher education to build the knowledge society and the knowledge economy (Huisman, Adelman, Hsieh, Shams & Wilkins, 2012). It was also in those years that the Creative Commons project was being prepared to offer sustainable legal solutions to openly shared content. Finally, it was in those years that the free operating system Ubuntu was created and disseminated worldwide (cf. https://ubuntu.com/community/mission).

Open paradigm in higher education

Today, in higher education, the Open paradigm is well known thanks to two offspring – Open Science and Open Educational Resources.

Open Education (OE) is in the making. Several milestones have been set, as for instance, the core underlying principles of OE considered as a commons and including design for access, equity, agency, ownership, participation, distribution, innovation and sustainability (Blessinger & Bliss, 2016; Stacey & Hinchliff Pearson, 2017). Its concrete implementation in higher education is still to be invented but a guiding framework exists (Inamorato dos Santos, Punie & Castaño Muñoz, 2016) and different research projects have experienced some parts of OE or some parts of the framework (e.g. Open book project; OpenMed).

Concerning core teaching and learning activities, in accordance with Stacey (2018)’s roadmap, OE is discussed in terms of Open Educational Resources (OER) – how to produce, adopt and adapt them (Stracke, Downes, Conole, Burgos & Nascimbeni, 2019; Weller, Jordan, DeVries & Rolfe, 2018). In terms of OE practices, it is teaching openness (Nascimbeni, Burgos, Campbell & Tabacco, 2018) and conceptual perspectives (Cronin & Maclaren, 2018) which are discussed. Issues of open admission, open recognition, open assessment and open credentials are discussed at the theoretical level (Wiley, 2017) and at the cultural change level (Chiappe, Pinto & Arias, 2016). Return of concrete experiences are starting to be shared (García-Holgado, et al., 2020). Concerning quality, a first OE quality framework, in reference to ISO/IEC 40180, has been suggested (Stracke, 2019). At the strategic and leadership levels, major identified OE enablers are i) a clear policy priority assigned to open education; ii) an awareness-raising on open education, targeting leaders and educators; and iii) capacity-building in open education for educators and other stakeholders (Inamorato dos Santos, et al., 2017). Concerning technology, projects like QualiChain (cf. https://qualichain-project.eu/ ) work on smart open badges solutions and a reflexion on technological compliant solutions is on-going (Coëtlogon, 2019).

References

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