We not only want to share an important research paper with a global perspective on open education, but explore how we can engage in further discussion and sharing here in OEG Connect. Starting with the formal citation
Stracke, C. M., Sharma, R. C., Bozkurt, A., Burgos, D., Swiatek Cassafieres, C., Inamorato dos Santos, A., Mason, J., Ossiannilsson, E., Santos-Hermosa, G., Shon, J. G., Wan, M., Agbu, J.-F. O., Farrow, R., Karakaya, Özlem, Nerantzi, C., Ramírez-Montoya, M. S., Conole, G., Truong, V., & Cox, G. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 on Formal Education: An International Review of Practices and Potentials of Open Education at a Distance. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning , 23 (4), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i4.6120
The research investigated case studies and practices from 13 countries to address the question, " In what ways has open education been proposed and addressed using distance and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns?
The findings summarized across areas of Marginalised or Excluded Student Groups, Missing, Restrictive, or Unrealistic Pedagogical Guidelines, Communication Between Students and Teachers, Learning Designs Developed and Used During COVID-19, Platforms and Innovative Pedagogies Facilitating Open Education at a Distance, and Sharing and Implementing OER for Open Education.
In addition, the authors identified seven key aspects of distance education during COVID-19, organized by impact levels of macro, meso, and micro focusing on three directly relevant in open education: Missing Infrastructure and Sharing OER, Open Education and Access to OER, and Urgent Need for Professional Development and Training for Teachers.
If I count correctly, 13 of the 19 co-authors are here in OEG Connect, including incoming OEGlobal Executive Director @Andreia plus @Christian @ramesh @arasbozkurt @JonMason @EbbaOssiannilsson @GSantos @wanhsu1234 @JaneF @RobertFarrow @chrissinerantzi @Marisol @Glencox
Note too that this research was shared prior to publication in sessions at OEGlobal 2020 and at OEGlobal 2021 conferences. We also tagged other relevant sessions from the last three conferences.
Now What?
How did your own experiences match what’s reported in this study? How is this playing out in the time since reaction and action to lockdowns? What has resulted/been acted on from these experiences? For the authors, what have they seen happen since the time of the research?
We have here an opportunity to be in dialogue with not only the co-authors of this research but each other. This is just an opening to more conversation (and maybe look forward next week to a new OEG Connect Pulse poll related to this paper).