Group Admins
Description
Session Description
In this session we will use the ‘All Aboard’ project as an illustrative case study of the design and development of open educational resources and the establishment of open practice in the use of these types of materials. All Aboard is a national project in Irish Higher Education which has also received international interest due to its imaginative visualisation of skills development, focus on confidence and empowerment over merely technical competence, its open and collegial approach.
We will take a critical look at the experience of the development of All Aboard and highlight challenges for the future, presenting possible options for scaling and sustainability. Linking and integrating with other initiatives (such as EU Digital Competence frameworks for citizens and educators) as part of an approach to capabilities development (including formal and semi-formal CPD); the practical and conceptual challenges related to digital badges and credentialing; design models for the production of shareable, open materials; an events or ‘campaigning’ approach to confidence building and empowerment (extending the ‘Digital Champions’ staff-student partnership framework) – all will be considered as part of the presentation and discussion session.
From the outset, All Aboard strove to focus on learning and engagement rather than simply producing another formalised competency framework (as reviewed in AA (2015)). The project participants committed to a number of essential principles based on an open and collective philosophy, including: co-creation of materials; an institution-neutral ‘branding’ and design; partnership between staff, faculty, and students; the promotion of informal, collegial and fun events including a campaign style around issues identified by our communities (for example, a focus on digital identity and wellbeing); the sharing, re-purposing, and promotion of resources produced by other projects and organisations.
The first phase of the project has completed and the project now faces issues regarding long term strategy and sustainability common to all multi-institutional partnerships. A number of potential models, pathways, and opportunities have been identified and are currently being explored. This session aims to stimulate debate and creative exploration of models which are also relevant to other such initiatives.
References
All Aboard (2015). “Towards a National Digital Skills Framework for Irish Higher Education: Review and comparison of existing frameworks and models.” Available at: http://allaboardhe.org/DSFramework2015.pdf [Accessed 30th Nov 2018]
All Aboard: Digital Skills in Higher Education. Available at: http://www.allaboardhe.ie/
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, “Teaching and Learning in Irish Higher Education: A Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World 2015-2017,” in teachingandlearning.ie, Published September 8, 2015, Last Accessed November 30, 2018, https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/teaching-and-learning-in-irish-higher-education-a-roadmap-for-enhancement-in-a-digital-world-2015-2017/.