Open learning, and their challenges and successes, was the focus of the second ONL course topic. PBL group discussions for topic 2 were spirited, especially because each member interpreted ‘openness’ differently, and had different thresholds of comfort for material they share or make public. From the topic lectures, we were introduced to the 4Rs in sharing and openness: Reuse, Redistribute, Revise, Remix We were also made aware of the five Creative Commons Licence Levels (BY: credit to be given to creator; NC: only non-commercial use; SA: adaptations shared under same terms; ND: no derivatives of work permitted; and CC0 (not discussed): public domain 

The personal reflection session for topic 2, for me, took a more philosophical trajectory than did topic 1. I believe that education should be made available to everyone, and that continual learning into adulthood should be encouraged. This belief is shared by other proponents of the democratisation of education, in which open learning is key for accessibility to under-resourced students. The empowerment that education can offer is real. Yet I am aware that there remains challenges to meeting the ideal of equity in learning. 

I pen my thoughts here, first as an educator, and thus specific to the nitty-gritty in preparing open courses. Online open courses promise the reach and convenience not available to physical classes. This aspect became paramount during the CoViD-19 pandemic where global learning institutions migrated courses online. This necessity to make courses online gave me some insights into the development of online courses – and then open courses. 

Firstly, effective online open courses go beyond the simple migration of physical lectures to online platforms. To this end, I realise that certain topics and material are more suitable for open courses than others. I believe that foundational, broad-based and general education topics to be more accessible over the online platform. Secondly, there is the use of teaching material that will become open content. How does this tie in with professional recognition and intellectual property rights? Would one use more open learning resources rather than create material from scratch to allow more time with students? Then there is also the social aspect to learning, which in my opinion, is crucial. Discussions, debates, presentations and other forms of communication have been oft cited to improve learning outcomes (see for example works by R. Kennedy (2007) in Journal of Learning and Teaching In Higher Education and Latif et al. (2018) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education). I have found that student discussions and debates on the online platform less organic and engaging. 

Then, there are more general thoughts about open online courses. Access to material and information does not always translate to access to equipment necessary for the lesson, or to infrastructure that can facilitate learning. This is especially true for my domain of Biology in which many laboratory sessions are conducted to cement concepts taught.

So it was a really interesting journey for me over these two weeks to learn from the blogpost Being Open: Drawing parallels from the Coffee House model by Kiruthika Ragupathi (2020). What struck me were her thoughts on the code of conduct and rules surrounding effective open discussions and how if defined too narrowly, can be exclusive and no longer represent the concept of openness. 

In the coming semester, I aim to apply these concepts in my teaching, especially courses still being conducted online. As the university races to remain relevant in an era where information are easily obtained, adaptation to methods (and not just content) is important!

Topic 2: Open Learning – Sharing and Openness