Europe is increasingly re-examining the role of universities and their relationships with industry and society, collaborating more closely than ever before. Digital transformation in research and education has driven unprecedented change in recent years, including the widespread adoption of open agendas, such as open education.
In response to this, SPARC Europe conducted a feasibility study to explore the need and appetite for establishing a European Alliance for Open Education to step up efforts in this area across the continent.
We found unanimous agreement that enhanced international collaboration is essential for meaningful change, and there is a clearly articulated call for a broad European open education alliance from a range of professionals, experts, and organisations.
After speaking with over 25 international experts, for #OEWeek we are launching our Open Education European Alliance Feasibility Report. We hope it moves Open Education to the very centre of European education.
Transformative change in education requires collective action on an international stage. An alliance can help build a shared and impactful community and supporting infrastructure. An alliance further enables the development of common standards and cultural shifts necessary for a truly borderless and equitable learning environment through open education.
Access the full report here: https://zenodo.org/records/18862080
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Lots of fascinating things taking place over the course of this week. And the release of this report is a very significant one. Well done SPARC Europe and @vanessaproudman!
Congratulations on the public release of the Open Education European Alliance Feasibility Report. It is exciting to see the report coming out with such substantial core information, insights and recommendations. Kudos to SPARC Europe for taking the lead in circulating this report and gauging interest. It will be fascinating to see what the response is.
I had the honour to work with SPARC Europe on this report and found the process and results fascinating.
The report provides an insightful snapshot of where open education is right now and how to move it forward. It brings together ideas from a diverse group of experts from across Europe and establishes common ground for what an Open Education European Alliance could tackle including things like policy, standards and interoperability, culture change, a European approach to open education, dealing with big tech and edtech, digital infrastructure, sustainability, quality, AI, and innovation. The report conveys a recognition of the need for collaboration around these areas as they are big and ambitious, difficult to achieve working on your own.
The report also synthesizes what we heard regarding practicalities around creating an alliance including:
- Remit of an Alliance e.g. mandate, goals, scope, audience, running an alliance
- The strengths and opportunities of an alliance
- Challenges and risks for an open education alliance
- Key stakeholders
- Learning from communities of practice
- Recommendations
In many ways the report is relevant to all efforts related to joining forces and collaborating on open education.
Comments, feedback, and expressions of interest on the report and its recommendations are welcome.