Recognition of open learning: the big picture

Address for Kiron WorkshopGabi Witthaus, Berlin, 10 April 2017

KIRON

Overview of presentation

1. Background and definitions2. Snapshot from the recent literature3. Policy for recognition of open learning4. Assessment and credentialisation in MOOCs5. The OpenCred Traffic Light Model6. Recognition of open learning - examples7. Community of open education practice8. The future

KIRON

1. BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS

Open Education

Inamorato Dos Santos, Punie & Muñoz (2016)

KIRON

open.bccampus.ca

Open Educational Resources (OERs): the 5 Rs

• Make and own copiesRetain• Use in a wide range of

waysReuse• Adapt, modify, and

improveRevise• Combine two or moreRemix• Share with othersRedistribut

eAdapted (color change) from Open Education: A “Simple” Introduction by David Wiley released under CC-BY license

MOOCs 2009-2016

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-12-29-monetization-over-massiveness-breaking-down-moocs-by-the-numbers-in-2016

MOOCs: the numbers

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-12-29-monetization-over-massiveness-breaking-down-moocs-by-the-numbers-in-2016

Credentialisation vs recognition/ validation/ accreditation

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., Punie, Y. (2016)

2. SNAPSHOT FROM THE LITERATURE

OpenCred Study (2014-16)

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., Punie, Y. (2016)

Themes from the literature• Is Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) enough? • Policy – needed or not? (e.g. NVAO, 2014)• How to measure the quality of online, open

education • The role of learning analytics in recognition • Do we need a common learning platform to

enable recognition? • Disaggregation/ unbundling of higher education

Further themes from the literature

• Assessment is key (e.g. Open Education Special Interest Group, 2014)

• The cost of assessment and recognition• Is peer assessment reliable? • After all that… will higher education

institutions recognise open learning? (Reushle et al, 2016)

3. POLICY STATEMENTS

Image by Jennifer Jordan on Flickr

Member States should… • have in place, no later than 2018, in

accordance with national circumstances and specificities, and as they deem appropriate, arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning…

Council of Europe recommendation

(Council of the European Union, 2012)

NVAO recommends that a MOOC certificate: • (a) formally and clearly states on whose authority it was

issued, provides information on the content, level and study load, states that the holder has achieved the desired learning objectives, provides information on the testing methods employed and lists the credits obtained, according to a standard international system or in some other acceptable format.

• (b) is demonstrably based on authentication; • (c) states that the examinations have been administered

under supervision and specifies the nature of this supervision.

Example: Netherlands

(NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders), 2014)

4. ASSESSMENT AND CREDENTIALISATION IN MOOCS

Coursera Exam by Mace Ojala on Flickr

Relationship between assessment and credentialisation in MOOCs

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., Punie, Y. (2016)

KIRON

5. OPENCRED TRAFFIC LIGHT MODEL

Image by Guzmán Lozano on Flickr

A framework for MOOC providers

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., Punie, Y. (2016)

None

None

Quality Assurance

Suitable supervisedassessment

Informative certificates/badge

sacknowledging

learning

Identity verificationof the learner

Award of credit points

Partnership & collaboration

Approval by faculty commission

During on-site exam

Graded“Certificates of Accomplishment”: short

description of course content &

“Certificate Supplement”: detailed course content and structure, learning

objectives, grading scheme

Programming exercises automated syntax check

& peer assessment;On-site exam iversity

testing centre, scored by instructor None

6 ECTS credits

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., Punie, Y. (2016)

University of Osnabrück MOOC, “Data Structures and Algorithms”

Kiron’s “MOOKlets”

KIRON

6. RECOGNITION OF OPEN LEARNING IN PRACTICE

Image by Håkan Dahlström on Flickr

Credit transfer (1): HEIs recognising their own MOOC credentials

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-12-29-monetization-over-massiveness-breaking-down-moocs-by-the-numbers-in-2016

Credit transfer (2): HEIs recognising MOOC credentials from other HEIs

• Open University Netherlands - flexibly structured Bachelor and Master programmes with “free” credits

• Technical University Munich: “Guided English Self-Study” – 2 ECTS credits

• UNED (Spanish Open University) grants credit for selected MOOCs

• Open Educational Resources university (OERu)

“Challenge-for-credit”

• Athabasca University, Thompson Rivers University, Excelsior College & Thomas Edison State College in Canada offer challenge exams (Conrad et al, 2013)

• Assessing outcomes/ competencies, regardless of how the learning was acquired

Recognition by portfolio

• “Learning Passport” proposed by VM-Pass project – validation done by a central clearing-house (Camilleri & Tannhauser, 2013)

• QUT, Brisbane – entrance to a Graduate Certificate – RPL ePorfolio assesses skills, professional experience and theoretical understanding (Ruinard & McNamara, 2016)

http://reopen.eu/ www.oeru.org

https://kiron.ngo/https://moonliteproject.eu/

7. COMMUNITY

Opening up education for refugees

Recognition of open learning

Open courses (MOOCs) ✔

MOOC assessment & credentials ✔

Open content (OERs) ✔

8. WHAT SHAPE IS KIRON’S FUTURE?

Thank you!

Gabi WitthausEmail: g.witthaus@lancaster.ac.uk

Blog: www.artofelearning.com Twitter: @twitthaus

Art of E-learning banner image by George Sfougaras

Camilleri, A.F. and Tannhäuser, A.C., 2013. ‘Chapter 4: Assessment and Recognition of Open Learning’, in L. Squires and A. Meiszner (eds) Openness and Education. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.85-118

Conrad, D., McGreal, R., Mackintosh, W., Murphy, Al & Witthaus, G., 2013. Report on the assessment and accreditation of learners using OER, Vancouver. Available at: http://www.col.org/resources/publications/Pages/detail.aspx?PID=458.

Council of the European Union. 2012. Council Recommendations of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning. (2012/C 398/01). Available at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32012H1222(01)

Inamorato Dos Santos, A., Punie, Y. & Muñoz, J.C., 2016. Opening up Education: a Support Framework for Higher Education Institutions, Seville. Available at: http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC101436.

NVAO. 2014. MOOCs and Online HE: A Survey, The Hague: Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), Available at http://www.nvao.net/page/downloads/NVAO_MOOCs_and_online_HE_A_survey_June_2014.pdf

Open Education Special Interest Group. 2014. Open Education Trend Report, SURF, Netherlands. Available at: https://www.surf.nl/en/knowledge-and- innovation/knowledge-base/2014/2014-open-education-trend-report.html

Reushle, S., Antonio, A. & Keppell, M. (Eds.) 2016. Open learning and formal credentialing in higher education: curriculum models and institutional policies. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Ruinard, E. & McNamara, J., 2016. Conceptualising Recognition of Prior Learning Processes in the Age of Open Learning. In S. Reushle, A. Antonio, & M. Keppell, eds. Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and Institutional Policies . Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 1–17.

Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos. A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A., Conole, G.,Nkuyubwatsi, B., & Punie, Y. (2016). Validation of Non-formal MOOC-based Learning: An Analysis of Assessment and Recognition Practices in Europe. Seville: EU JRC IPTS. Available at: http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC96968/lfna27660enn.pdf

References

Recognition of open learning: the big picture, by Gabi Witthaus, is licensed under a

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