Outline
Outgrowths of OER
OER Universities
Open Textbooks
Hong Kong’s textbooks problem
The government’s solutions
Our proposed solution
An online open textbook platform
Online textbooks and teaching materials
Quality assurance
Community and capacity building
1. Online courses based on open courseware:Coursera; Udacity: MITx, edX, OERu
2. Open textbooks projects:College Open Textbooks; Connexions; California Free Digital Textbooks Initiative; Open Access Textbooks; Flat World Knowledge
Outgrowths
Problems of printed textbooks
There was a heated debate about textbooks in Hong Kong in the past months. The focus was on the high price.
Problems of printed textbooks
Not flexible for specific needs
Vetting process too rigid: meeting deadlines
Heavy upfront investment; specialized development teams; lengthy production
Teachers developing own materials are lone rangers
Publishers do not wish to go online
The government’s solution
In 2008, a Working Group on Textbooks and e-Learning Resources was set up to work on possible solutions.
The government’s solution
2009 solution:
Grants to encourage schools and publishersto develop e-learning resources;
HKEdCity to set up an e-commerce platformto sell e-learning resources
Push for debundling of textbooks and teaching and learning materials
The government’s solution
Result:
More e-learning resources are used in classrooms, but they do not replace the textbooks;
Textbook prices still on the rise in 2010-11;
Resistance by publishers on debundling oftextbooks and teaching and learning materials.
The government’s solution
A Task Force to review learning and teaching materials was formed in early 2011.
A report was produced in December 2011.
The government’s solution
2012 solution:
e-Textbook Market Development Scheme(EMADS) which facilitates, through subsidy, the development of a new, healthy, rich and sustainable e-textbook market.
The government’s solution
Can EMADS solve Hong Kong problems?
We have to wait and see.
Debundling does not lead to drop in textbook prices
EMADS’s view of e-textbooks is more on theenhanced e-book versions.
It does not place emphasis on the printed versions.
The government’s solution
E-textbooks will take a long time to replacethe printed books.
Infrastructure and individual equipment have to be in place for extensive use of e-books.
Inexpensive e-textbooks cannot be guaranteed when government subsidy is withdrawn.
An open textbook system
Based on the concept and practice of open textbooks
The aim is to produce open source textbooks which are free, flexible, and current, for use by schools and universities
An open textbook system
The textbooks provided: are less expensive allow fast revision and updates allow transparent peer and user quality
assurance allow easy adaptation
and modification
An open textbook system
The textbooks provided: are digitized for online and mobile
learning Available for use along with multimedia
and online materials
An open textbook system
An online open textbook platform
Online (printable) textbooks and teaching materials
Quality assurance Community and capacity
building
A repository for hosting textbooks and associated learning resources
Users can browse, download, revise, remix, re-create and upload materials
Users can download and print the (customized textbooks)
An open textbook platform
12 open textbooks on English language in accordance to EDB syllabuses at the school level
Over 100 university level open textbooks
Course materials for the new Yijin programme
OUHK courseware
Open textbooks and teaching materials
Selecting existing open textbooks from the Internet, and modifying them to suit Hong Kong needs
Enlisting the support of practitioners
Employing professionals and experts
Joint development with others
Modus operandi
A team of editors and educational technologists to monitor the development process
Subject experts to review items
Quality assurance: internal
Peer review Vetting by Review
Panels of EDB Open review and rating
by users: teachers, parents and students
Systematic evaluation and research
Quality assurance: external
A consortium made up of beneficiary educational institutions to monitor development
Contributors and users form a community to share experience
Individuals will be invited to join the team of contributors
Community and capacity building
In the long run, the project will become a public platform, for enthusiasts to contribute freely, and for use by teachers and students.
The expanding community and capacity thus generated will determine the project’s future quality standards and requirements, and in turn will lead to the continuous maintenance and improvement of the contents.
Conclusion