In this chapter, we discuss open educational practices (OEPs) that Teacher Educators (TEs) used t... more In this chapter, we discuss open educational practices (OEPs) that Teacher Educators (TEs) used to facilitate in-service schoolteachers' (I-STs') research thinking. The majority of graduate students in the program held teaching roles in K-12 or educational development and training roles in adult learning contexts. OEPs are participatory and collaborative learning opportunities based on social constructivist principles used in a component of a fully online Master's program in Education offered by a research university situated on the Canadian prairie. The I-STs in the program were situated as scholars of the profession and were provided with structured learning opportunities to help develop research-based skills (Brown et al. in Open Educational Practices (OEP) create conditions for learning in a graduate school, 2022; Jacobsen et al. in J Univ Teach Learn Pract 15(4):1-18, 2018). Results from our study indicate that responsive teaching is integral to OEP and can help I-STs develop research skills and research thinking. 3.1 Background The Research Skill Development (RSD) framework (Willison & O'Regan, 2007), was used to guide the initial design and subsequent curriculum review of the Master of Education program (Jacobsen et al., 2018). RSD was used as a conceptual framework in our study to examine the ways in which open educational practices (OEPs) can be used to facilitate in-service teachers' (I-STs') research-based skill development through their examination of meaningful problems of practice in a scholarly community of inquiry. OEPs are teaching and learning approaches that promote collaborative networked learning opportunities that are digitally accessible to all learners. OEPs can include the co-creation and or use of open educational resources in digital spaces where educators and learners can reflect upon their learning in order
This paper builds on student-instructor partnerships by describing how an instructor, students, p... more This paper builds on student-instructor partnerships by describing how an instructor, students, program coordinator, and members of a research team were involved in the co-design of an open educational resource in a graduate program in education. A four-part open learning design framework was used to guide the course design: (a) clarifying the co-design process; (b) building and sharing knowledge, and making thinking visible; (c) building relationships; and (d) sustaining learning beyond the course. The framework, along with the collaborative team effort that was part of a larger research project, enabled the development of an openly licensed and accessible digital book. The project brought together a collaborative team who were passionate about learning more about open education and a small grant supported the additional expense of professional copyediting to refine the book.
ABSTRACT When the art of assessment in online and distributed learning is grounded in Freirean wr... more ABSTRACT When the art of assessment in online and distributed learning is grounded in Freirean writings, instructors have the opportunity to craft a nuanced and layered learning environment where the potential for critical consciousness is enhanced through carefully codesigned assessment strategies. Patton (2017) summarized 10 pedagogical principles based on the writings of Freire, which he determined relevant as a result of their connection to critical pedagogy of evaluation. We explore a revisioning of those principles: using evaluative thinking to cultivate critical consciousness; learning resides in communities, not just individuals; critical pedagogy must be dialogical and interactive; assessment should integrate reflection, action, thinking, and emotion; and critical consciousness is co-intentional, focusing on process and product. We use them as a framework to describe what we call Freirean principles of assessment, through the application of student blogs within online and distributed assessment practices. Our intention is to share the potential of blogging, in connection with Freirean principles of assessment, when considering open assessment in higher education.
Why is Openness in Education important, and why is it critically needed at this moment? As manife... more Why is Openness in Education important, and why is it critically needed at this moment? As manifested in our guiding question, the significance of Openness in Education and its immediate necessity form the heart of this collaborative editorial piece. This rather straightforward, yet nuanced query has sparked this collective endeavour by using individual testimonies, which may also be taken as living narratives, to reveal the value of Openness in Education as a praxis. Such testimonies serve as rich, personal narratives, critical introspections, and experience-based accounts that function as sources of data. The data gleaned from these narratives points to the understanding of Openness in Education as a complex, multilayered concept intricately woven into an array of values. These range from aspects such as sharing, access, flexibility, affordability, enlightenment, barrier-removal, empowerment, care, individual agency, trust, innovation, sustainability, collaboration, co-creation, social justice, equity, transparency, inclusivity, decolonization, democratisation, participation, liberty, and respect for diversity. This editorial, as a product of collective endeavour, invites its readers to independently engage with individual narratives, fostering the creation of unique interpretations. This call stems from the distinctive character of each narrative as they voice individual researchers’ perspectives from around the globe, articulating their insights within their unique situational contexts.
Purpose There is a need for research that examines how digital networks can support all learners ... more Purpose There is a need for research that examines how digital networks can support all learners in open access to people, resources and experiences that were previously inaccessible in K-12 learning contexts. This study aims to examine the potential of open education theories and open practices in high school learning environments. Design/methodology/approach Using a design-based research approach, this study used the open learning design intervention framework to examine the experiences of a researcher, a teacher and Grade 10 students who expanded their learning from formal to informal learning environments by integrating open educational practices (OEP). The research occurred through three specific phases with iterative cycles that were responsive to research participants and data analysis at each phase. Findings The key findings suggest that open learning in high school is dependent upon opportunities for learners to co-design personally relevant learning pathways. The emerging ...
This book is the result of a co-design project in a class in the Masters of Education program at ... more This book is the result of a co-design project in a class in the Masters of Education program at the University of Calgary. The course, and the resulting book, focus primarily on the safe and ethical use of technology in digital learning environments. The course was organized according to four topics based on Farrow’s (2016) Framework for the Ethics of Open Education. Students were asked to review, analyze, and synthesize each topic from three meta-ethical theoretical positions: deontological, consequentialist, and virtue ethical (Farrow, 2016). The chapters in this open educational resource (OER) were co-designed using a participatory pedagogy with the intention to share and mobilize knowledge with a broader audience. The first three chapters in the book discuss specific ethical considerations related to technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) , social networking services (SNS), and 3D printing. The next four chapters shift to a broader discussion of resource sharing, ada...
The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 2021
This design-based research aims to improve the quality of graduate supervision using a Massive Op... more This design-based research aims to improve the quality of graduate supervision using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Quality Graduate Supervision MOOC brings interdisciplinary faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and expert supervisors together in an online learning community to discuss and consider effective supervision practice, strategies for relationship building, supports for academic writing, mentoring for diverse careers, and how to combine excellence and wellness. The survey, interview, and system data were analyzed to inform and assess the design and development of the QGS MOOC, to gain insights into learner experience and engagement, and to assess the impact of the online learning community on graduate supervision practices. Through ongoing design and evaluation of this online learning course for graduate supervisors, the research team found the learning community influenced faculty members’ awareness, collective knowledge building, goal setting, and actions for gradua...
In this chapter, we discuss open educational practices (OEPs) that Teacher Educators (TEs) used t... more In this chapter, we discuss open educational practices (OEPs) that Teacher Educators (TEs) used to facilitate in-service schoolteachers' (I-STs') research thinking. The majority of graduate students in the program held teaching roles in K-12 or educational development and training roles in adult learning contexts. OEPs are participatory and collaborative learning opportunities based on social constructivist principles used in a component of a fully online Master's program in Education offered by a research university situated on the Canadian prairie. The I-STs in the program were situated as scholars of the profession and were provided with structured learning opportunities to help develop research-based skills (Brown et al. in Open Educational Practices (OEP) create conditions for learning in a graduate school, 2022; Jacobsen et al. in J Univ Teach Learn Pract 15(4):1-18, 2018). Results from our study indicate that responsive teaching is integral to OEP and can help I-STs develop research skills and research thinking. 3.1 Background The Research Skill Development (RSD) framework (Willison & O'Regan, 2007), was used to guide the initial design and subsequent curriculum review of the Master of Education program (Jacobsen et al., 2018). RSD was used as a conceptual framework in our study to examine the ways in which open educational practices (OEPs) can be used to facilitate in-service teachers' (I-STs') research-based skill development through their examination of meaningful problems of practice in a scholarly community of inquiry. OEPs are teaching and learning approaches that promote collaborative networked learning opportunities that are digitally accessible to all learners. OEPs can include the co-creation and or use of open educational resources in digital spaces where educators and learners can reflect upon their learning in order
This paper builds on student-instructor partnerships by describing how an instructor, students, p... more This paper builds on student-instructor partnerships by describing how an instructor, students, program coordinator, and members of a research team were involved in the co-design of an open educational resource in a graduate program in education. A four-part open learning design framework was used to guide the course design: (a) clarifying the co-design process; (b) building and sharing knowledge, and making thinking visible; (c) building relationships; and (d) sustaining learning beyond the course. The framework, along with the collaborative team effort that was part of a larger research project, enabled the development of an openly licensed and accessible digital book. The project brought together a collaborative team who were passionate about learning more about open education and a small grant supported the additional expense of professional copyediting to refine the book.
ABSTRACT When the art of assessment in online and distributed learning is grounded in Freirean wr... more ABSTRACT When the art of assessment in online and distributed learning is grounded in Freirean writings, instructors have the opportunity to craft a nuanced and layered learning environment where the potential for critical consciousness is enhanced through carefully codesigned assessment strategies. Patton (2017) summarized 10 pedagogical principles based on the writings of Freire, which he determined relevant as a result of their connection to critical pedagogy of evaluation. We explore a revisioning of those principles: using evaluative thinking to cultivate critical consciousness; learning resides in communities, not just individuals; critical pedagogy must be dialogical and interactive; assessment should integrate reflection, action, thinking, and emotion; and critical consciousness is co-intentional, focusing on process and product. We use them as a framework to describe what we call Freirean principles of assessment, through the application of student blogs within online and distributed assessment practices. Our intention is to share the potential of blogging, in connection with Freirean principles of assessment, when considering open assessment in higher education.
Why is Openness in Education important, and why is it critically needed at this moment? As manife... more Why is Openness in Education important, and why is it critically needed at this moment? As manifested in our guiding question, the significance of Openness in Education and its immediate necessity form the heart of this collaborative editorial piece. This rather straightforward, yet nuanced query has sparked this collective endeavour by using individual testimonies, which may also be taken as living narratives, to reveal the value of Openness in Education as a praxis. Such testimonies serve as rich, personal narratives, critical introspections, and experience-based accounts that function as sources of data. The data gleaned from these narratives points to the understanding of Openness in Education as a complex, multilayered concept intricately woven into an array of values. These range from aspects such as sharing, access, flexibility, affordability, enlightenment, barrier-removal, empowerment, care, individual agency, trust, innovation, sustainability, collaboration, co-creation, social justice, equity, transparency, inclusivity, decolonization, democratisation, participation, liberty, and respect for diversity. This editorial, as a product of collective endeavour, invites its readers to independently engage with individual narratives, fostering the creation of unique interpretations. This call stems from the distinctive character of each narrative as they voice individual researchers’ perspectives from around the globe, articulating their insights within their unique situational contexts.
Purpose There is a need for research that examines how digital networks can support all learners ... more Purpose There is a need for research that examines how digital networks can support all learners in open access to people, resources and experiences that were previously inaccessible in K-12 learning contexts. This study aims to examine the potential of open education theories and open practices in high school learning environments. Design/methodology/approach Using a design-based research approach, this study used the open learning design intervention framework to examine the experiences of a researcher, a teacher and Grade 10 students who expanded their learning from formal to informal learning environments by integrating open educational practices (OEP). The research occurred through three specific phases with iterative cycles that were responsive to research participants and data analysis at each phase. Findings The key findings suggest that open learning in high school is dependent upon opportunities for learners to co-design personally relevant learning pathways. The emerging ...
This book is the result of a co-design project in a class in the Masters of Education program at ... more This book is the result of a co-design project in a class in the Masters of Education program at the University of Calgary. The course, and the resulting book, focus primarily on the safe and ethical use of technology in digital learning environments. The course was organized according to four topics based on Farrow’s (2016) Framework for the Ethics of Open Education. Students were asked to review, analyze, and synthesize each topic from three meta-ethical theoretical positions: deontological, consequentialist, and virtue ethical (Farrow, 2016). The chapters in this open educational resource (OER) were co-designed using a participatory pedagogy with the intention to share and mobilize knowledge with a broader audience. The first three chapters in the book discuss specific ethical considerations related to technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) , social networking services (SNS), and 3D printing. The next four chapters shift to a broader discussion of resource sharing, ada...
The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 2021
This design-based research aims to improve the quality of graduate supervision using a Massive Op... more This design-based research aims to improve the quality of graduate supervision using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Quality Graduate Supervision MOOC brings interdisciplinary faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and expert supervisors together in an online learning community to discuss and consider effective supervision practice, strategies for relationship building, supports for academic writing, mentoring for diverse careers, and how to combine excellence and wellness. The survey, interview, and system data were analyzed to inform and assess the design and development of the QGS MOOC, to gain insights into learner experience and engagement, and to assess the impact of the online learning community on graduate supervision practices. Through ongoing design and evaluation of this online learning course for graduate supervisors, the research team found the learning community influenced faculty members’ awareness, collective knowledge building, goal setting, and actions for gradua...
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Papers by Verena Roberts