Compendium of Case Studies of Open Education in the Mediterranean

A Compendium of Case Studies and Interviews with Experts about Open Education Practices and Resources

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This compendium was created by partners on the OpenMed project and edited by staff at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab at Coventry University, UK, with significant contributions made by expert interviewees in international open education. It is aimed at:

  • Higher education practitioners with involvement or interest in open educational resources and practices
  • IT professionals with responsibility for supporting the use of online and open education
  • Institutional, national and international managers with responsibility for furthering the appropriate and quality use of open educational resources and practices
  • Newcomers who wish to have an overview of the field of open education in the South Mediterranean region specifically, and worldwide generally
  • Higher education and open education international stakeholders.

The compendium is essential reading for anyone with an interest in international open education, particularly in the South Mediterranean region. It is the first major output from the OpenMed Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project, which focuses upon increasing open education in the South Mediterranean region. Consequently, the report provides comprehensive background information on the state of open education in Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, and Jordan, and in-depth insight into open education in the eight participating South Mediterranean partner universities.

The compendium begins by delineating the key concepts and definitions associated with open education, providing a clear and succinct introduction for those new to the area. It then presents eleven case studies of international open educational practices across Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Spain, UK, North America, and South Africa. The eleven case studies, which were reviewed by OpenMed partners and international experts in open education, were selected because they represented the unique range of practices in open education and demonstrate the importance of recognizing individual contexts in determining good practices.

International experts in open education were asked to comment on relevant initiatives and share recommendations with the aim of facilitating and encouraging the adoption of open education in the South Mediterranean region. These experts were from the South Mediterranean region, Europe, and the wider international open education community, and the full interview recordings are available here. These experts provided important insight into the individual case studies, and helped to shape the 22 recommendations made for the continued improvement of open education practices and resources in the South Mediterranean region. These recommendations were categorized under the following five themes:

  • Top-down and bottom-up implementation
  • Supporting staff in using and integrating open practices and open resources
  • Collaborative creation in communities of practice
  • Enhancing the quality of student learning
  • Licensing of OER content.

The OpenMed team hopes that by making this report publicly available, we can embody the principles of openness and collaboration underpinning open education. We are eager to hear comments from others with insight or interest in this area.

Compendium
Executive Summary

الملخص التنفيذي

Résumé

Executive Summary

Compendium Presentation

This video presentation of the Compendium has been recorded by Katherine Wimpenny, Sarah Merry and Daniel Villar (Coventry University) on November 28, and it’s been presented at the Egypt OER Strategy Forum at Cairo University on November 20, 2016.

 

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Presentation of the Compendium during the UNIMED General Assembly 2016