Themes from posts
It was very interesting to read the OKHE posts on how open knowledge relates your own practice. The most significant element of openness varied, with posts addressing open access, OER and open practice in general. Several themes emerged across these different strands however. This is just based on my sense of these, not any analysis, but for me the three main ones were:
Generally convinced of the ‘open’ argument — the course may be ‘preaching to the converted’ in a sense, but most writers set out good, clear arguments for the benefits of open practice. These were not just based on altruistic, would’t it be nice sentiments, but practical benefits to educators and students. This reflects a certain maturity in the field now, in that there are enough practical examples and sufficient data to draw upon to make the case for openness.
Uncertainty about own contribution — given this first point, many people could see the benefits of openness, but then were uncertain about how it applied directly to their own position, and everyday practice. ‘What can I do?’ and ‘What benefit would it bring?’ were common questions. This raises an important issue for open knowledge I think. If we view it as a mindset or practice that may, or may not, pass into mainstream educational practice, then the first step is to have it widely recognised as beneficial. This was the first point above, the next step then is to have it make a practical benefit on an everyday basis. For some writers they could see how this might be realised, for instance wider dissemination of articles by making them open access, or establishing an online identity as part of their career. But for others the benefits were less obvious.
Rethinking practice — the last theme was that considering open knowledge had led many writers to rethink elements of practice. We have developed processes for realising certain goals, for instance publishers and the journal system for disseminating knowledge. But looking at this from an openness perspective causes people to consider whether this is the best model to realise the ultimate aim, that of sharing reliable knowledge. The same goes for aspects of student support, teaching practice, collaboration, etc. This is not to suggest the open approach is always better — there may be very good reasons for continuing with the existing model — but it provides a route for reflecting on existing practice in a very fundamental manner.
What this highlights I feel is that we are in a transition period for open knowledge, as it moves from being a peripheral interest. This makes it an interesting topic to study at this time, but also something that needs to be tracked, as the picture in two or three years’ time may well be very different.
