I am a PhD student with 80% of my responsibilities focused on research and 20% on teaching. Therefore, I primarily reflect approach from a researcher’s perspective. I will share my interpretation of what Open Learning means from this point of view, and I will also briefly share my thoughts on Open Education.
For me, as a researcher, Open Learning means sharing knowledge, as we place great emphasis on contributing to knowledge through our research. Highlighting our contribution is a core part of the research process, and to me, that act of contribution is closely tied to both Open Learning and Open Education. We identify and bridge a specific gap, share our insights, and engage communities to continue, distribute, and further develop that knowledge. This becomes possible through Open Education and Open Learning.
In addition, new ideas can emerge at all times and in all settings which, for me, means there are no boundaries to when or how a researcher thinks. Therefore, having free access to materials and resources is essential. From my point of view, Free here means both easy access to databases and being free of charge. Then, Open Education is interpreted that Researchers should have unrestricted access to a wide range of resources, whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.
This can be linked to Orna Farrell’s presentation in her webinar, as well as the definition provided in Cronin’s article (2017), which describes Open Educational Resources through the 5Rs framework: 1-Retain means to make and own copies, 2- Reuse means use in your own context, 3- Revise means adopt, modify, improve, 4- Remix means combine, re-combine, and 5- Redistribute means share with others (Cronin, 2017; Farrel, 2021).
In addition, Cronin (2017) states that Open Educational Practices involve teaching and learning methods that emphasise collaboration, sharing, and active participation. These practices focus on using and creating Open Educational Resources, such as freely available teaching materials, and encourage learners and teachers to empower learners to take an active role in their education (Cronin, 2017). In this regard, Farrel, (2021) refers the UNESCO’s definition of Open education as the use of open licenses for any teaching, learning and researching materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that has been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation, and redistribution by others, with no or limited restriction (Farrel’s, 2021, as cited in the webinar).
There are various perspectives on sharing openly. From my point of view, I am willing to share my thoughts and research at this stage in order to express my ideas and uncertainties and to contribute to others in my field. This openness can also help future researchers learn from my work and encourage other stakeholders to contribute to my study. I do also share them with other academic stakeholders such as researchers, senior colleagues, and lecturers, as well as with other relevant stakeholders like managers, and even with my family and friends who might benefit from the information. From the perspective of Open Educational Practice, I am, of course, willing to share my teaching materials so that learners can easily access them. For me, it’s more about reaching those who may not be available at a specific time as well as supporting learners who need to revisit the materials multiple times for deeper learning or further study.
Of course, within the concept of openness, several limitations arise. From my perspective, and in agreement with Judit’s point (Open Education, 2025, cited in the short podcast), copyright is one such limitation. For example, if a material is protected by copyright, it cannot be shared freely. Privacy is another key concern. In some specific cases, sharing is not possible due to stakeholders’ privacy or the presence of sensitive data that must be protected under regulations such as the GDPR.
Moreover, another limitation is, from my perspective, the risk associated with sharing original or emerging ideas that have not yet been developed or published. When such ideas are shared openly, there is a concern about how they might be used, raising questions about intellectual property, distribution and the potential for plagiarism. This presents a challenge for researchers who want to contribute openly while also protecting their work from misuse.

References

Cronin, C. (2017). Openness and praxis: Exploring the use of open educational practices in higher education. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(5), 15-34. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i5.3096

Farrel, O. (2021). Webinar of the launch of the Go Open digital resources. Available at: https://youtu.be/h9p3shpHm14?si=WMY-paP_oKjbfVOu [21-04-2025]

Open Education. (2025). Perspectives of openness (Audio). Available at: https://blog.nus.edu.sg/openeducation/audio-podcast/ [21-04-2025].