1. Developing a culture of OERs - Engaging grass-root stakeholders with using, producing & sharing open educational resources (OERs) for professional development. Stephen Gomez, Charles Dorr & Holger Andersson Plymouth University & SERIO

2. Learning from WOeRK project CPD degree framework Learners from the workplace Lifelong learners Bite-size, credit accumulation, work- related curriculum WOeRK project >360 credits- worth of OERs UG & PG Management, leadership, mentoring Research methods WBL

3. CPD OER Stakeholders OER Producers HE Institution – Senior Managers, Heads of School (HoS) Academic Tutors / Consultants OER Learners Employers / employees Lifelong learners

4. Project aims

5. Methodology Research methods F2F semi- structured interviews Senior Managers / Heads of School n=12 Online questionnaire Academic tutors / professional staff n=129 Workshops Feedback forms Academic tutors, n=26; Employer, employees, n=18; Lifelong learners, n=24

6. Headline findings All stakeholders Low awareness of OERs Highly receptive to their use Keen to use OERs in future Appreciated the project in drawing their attention to OERs Academics Appreciate OER benefits But… Must add value to traditional teaching Time constraints – a major barrier Requires incentives to engage Acknowledge authorship Senior Managers Potential to raise profile of the university and tutors Requires an institutional OER strategy Employers & Lifelong learners Highly positive to using OERs Saw potential in producing & customising OERs Thought they offered a highly accessible form of learning Considered LfW CPD OERs highly valuable

7. Senior managers’ perspectives Could support School’s teaching activities Particularly distance learning OERs Saving time & effort for teaching staff Raises profile of the School & tutor Enhance student experience Advantages Risk of replacing traditional teaching OER engagement might be adversely affected by new funding regime Concerns

8. Staff likely to use OERs in future

9. Academics: e-survey responses 53% unaware of OERs Saw OER benefits & indicated future engagement 74% saw distance learning as main use of OERs Time constraints seen as primary barrier

10. Academic staff workshop Eager to learn more about OERs Generally confident accessing & using OERs Need support developing & publicising own OERs 86% more likely to use OERs in the future Found the workshop very useful

11. Employers’ workshop 18 employers attended workshop organised by Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. Introduced employers to OERs & LfW Employers enthusiastic about using OERs for CPD All employers likely to use OERs in the future. Employers positive about customising OERs for their work context. Lack of knowledge of appropriate repositories main barrier to engagement. Found the workshop very useful.

12. Lifelong learners’ workshop 26 members of the University of the 3 rd Age (U3A) attended None had previous knowledge of OERs Attendees introduced to the concept of OERs & to LfW examples All were highly enthusiastic about OERs, seeing the potential to support their learning Plymouth U3A plan to produce own OERs and repositories Info about OERs has spread to neighbouring branches

13. Supporting cultural change Continue awareness raising Workshops, podcasts, leaflets, staff development High-level institutional support required Especially with new funding regime Recognition & reward mechanisms required Focus on repurposing Not “re-inventing the wheel” Greater ease of finding OERs required To become mainstream culture, needs critical mass to engage!