OpenCourseWare, Global Access and the Right to Education: Real access or marketing ploy?

Abstract

This paper explores the potential opportunities that OpenCourseWare (OCW) offers in providing wider access to tertiary education, based on the ideal of 'the right to education'. It first discusses the wider implications of OCW, and its underlying philosophy, before using a case study of a tertiary preparation program (TPP) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) to draw out the issues involved in offering a program that is created in a particular national and social context on a global scale. This paper draws specific attention to the digital divide, its effects in national and global contexts, and the particular obstacles this presents with regards to OCW. This paper argues that OCW provides many opportunities, both in terms of access to education and in terms of student recruitment and marketing for universities. To take full advantage of those opportunities, however, requires a concerted effort on the part of tertiary education institutions, and it requires a vision that is fundamentally informed by, and committed to, the principle of 'the right to education'. OpenCourseWare (OCW); the right to education; digital divide; tertiary preparation programs Give a man [sic] a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (Chinese proverb) Keywords:

Virtually unlimited classrooms: Pedagogical practices in massive open online courses

“…The OER movement "aims to break down…barriers and to encourage and enable sharing content freely" (OECD, 2007, p. 30). Advocates argue that open online education enhances higher education by increasing access to educational materials previously reserved for a limited number of enrolled students and by improving instruction through shared materials and the feedback among educators and learners (Bissell, 2009;Huijser, Bedford, & Bull, 2008). Successful implementation requires a combination of technology, support from faculty and institutional leaders, open licensing, and a diverse community of educators and learners ready to engage in the process (Bissell, 2009;McMartin, 2008).…”

Untitled

“…This digital shift away from the traditional and expensive practice of posting printed course materials has, however, produced some unintended effects for economically and geographically disadvantaged students. The majority of incarcerated students in Australia still have no direct access to the internet and they remain, perhaps, the most marginalised and underrepresented group in Australian tertiary education (Huijser, Bedford & Bull, 2008). While they often succeed in tertiary study, despite considerable constraints and typically low levels of secondary school attainment, prisoners remain the disconnected, invisible and silent members of the much valorized online student communities of contemporary higher education.…”

Analysis of Learning Achievement and Teacher–Student Interactions in Flipped and Conventional Classrooms

“…The scope of this study is limited to asynchronous distance learning. In online learning environments, if students lack prior knowledge, the learning outcome with OCW may be decreased (Huijser et al, 2008). In addition, in asynchronous online discussions, the instructors may not provide instant feedback or interactions (Swan, 2003), which in turn can cause challenges for students to ask the instructors or teaching assistants (TAs) questions (Willging & Johnson, 2009).…”