Politics, practices, and possibilities of open educational resources

Abstract

In this article, I reflect on the politics, practices and possibilities of the open educational resources (OER). OER raise important implications for current and potential students, for postsecondary education institutions, and for those currently teaching in higher education. The key questions raised by OER centre on the role of teaching in learning, the potential for a shift in societal conceptualizations of learners from didactic to autodidactic beings, and what roles teachers may play in a potentially radical broadening of access to postsecondary education.

Keywords:

• open educational resources movement
• OER
• autodidacticism
• certification of learning
• lifelong learning
• postsecondary education