Construindo Políticas de Abertura a partir dos Recursos Educacionais Abertos: Uma Análise do Sistema Universidade Aberta do Brasil / Building Open Policy through Open Educational Resources: An analysis of the Open University of Brazil System

Abstract

Open Educational Resources (OER) and associated practices are often positioned as catalysts in increasing equality, inclusion and access to higher education. We present an investigation on the production and dissemination of educational resources at eight Higher Education Institutions that are part of the Open University of Brazil System. Through interviews, focus groups and an analysis of published documents, we aimed to understand their track record, activities and perspectives in regards to core elements of OER adoption. We identified an overall interest and willingness to share resources, collaborative practices and informal exchange of resources, the use of open licensing in local repositories, and attempts at institutional policy making surrounding OER. On the other hand, there were difficulties related to the limited institutionalization of UAB and of distance education, limited financial and technical mechanisms for collaboration and reuse, and a lack of institutional and governmental policy to support sharing and reuse. The lack of coordination around these practices has meant much informal and isolated practices. Unless fomented by the federal government, most initiatives are local, many of which, short-lived. We finalize by discussing recent activities promoting openness including a central standard licensing scheme, mechanisms for sharing resources, and professional development around openness.