New guide offers pointers for steering initial OER policy discussions
Properly guiding and navigating initial conversations with policy-makers and influencers can be crucial when making the case for an Open Education Resource policy. To help aid in preparing for such discussions, SPARC Europe has produced a document outlining high-level pointers; a guide for making a strategic, convincing case for OER.
The document is the result of a working session that took place at the 2nd OER Policy Forum held earlier this summer in Warsaw.
“Considering that we are still at a relatively early stage with OER policy adoption in Europe, getting these initial, critical conversations right could mean faster growth of OER,” said SPARC Europe Executive Director Vanessa Proudman.
Among key points covered in the document are the importance of being able to succinctly “set the scene” describing problems with the status quo and how the situation could be improved with OER; to describe in a single sentence the unique selling point presented by an OER policy; to share key statistics related to costs; and to describe policy specifics.
The guide also includes a list of other useful resources including UNESCO’s Open Education Resources; an OER Mythbusting Guide, and a document on the Foundations for OER Strategy Development.