GO-GN 10th anniversary workshop live-streamed sessions (Friday 13 October 2023)

To find out more about how to get involved in our 10th anniversary celebrations and see our full programme of activities, please see our main post Celebrate 10 years of GO-GN!

Back to the Future: The Early Years of GO-GN (Prof. Robert Schuwer)

Abstract

Initial thoughts on GO-GN were conceived and developed by Professor Fred Mulder in 2011. In this talk, I would like to take attendees through the conception, birth and first two years of GO-GN before its transfer to the OU-UK in 2015. Why GO-GN? How was it funded? Who came up with the acronym GO-GN (you’ll be surprised!), how about the first GO-GN seminars? And what have we learned from these years? Finally, a reflection on the future of GO-GN is presented.

Biography

Robert Schuwer is an independent consultant and researcher on OER. From 2014-2022 he was Professor of Open Educational Resources at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In September 2016 he was appointed Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on OER at Fontys. Since 2006 the majority of his work is about OER and Open Education. His current research is on adoption of OER and other forms of open online education by the early and late majority of teachers.

In 2022, Robert was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Open Education Global for his contribution to the advancement of open education. In 2020, he was awarded the Dutch SURF Education Award for his passion, leadership and creativity in innovating open education in the Netherlands.

Join the session on Friday 13 October 2023 at 12.00-13.00 MDT via Zoom!

GO-GN Member and Alumni Presentations (14.00-14.30 MDT)

Further information on session presentations, where provided, are given below.

Exploring data ethics perspectives: A comparative study of IT and business university lecturers in Vietnam and Australia (Vi Truong)

The research focuses on conducting an exploratory study that compares the perceptions of IT and Business university lecturers in Vietnam and Australia regarding data ethics. The study aims to understand how different contexts influence ethical viewpoints and practices. It also explores the pedagogical aspects of data ethics within these countries, considering cultural, social, and institutional factors that shape attitudes toward data ethics. The research aims to identify potential gaps in current curricula and develop a specialised data ethics course for university students in Vietnam. This course will be made accessible as an Open Educational Resource (OER) to educate future IT and Business professionals, especially in Vietnam. The research aims to contribute to the existing literature and practices surrounding data ethics, given the widespread use of data and the increasing importance of ethical considerations.

Using Open Educational Resources to advance Higher Education in Ghana (Evelyn O. A. Tetteh) 

My main focus is to investigate factors that determine academic libraries’ support for open educational resources in higher education institutions in Ghana. I am also looking at librarians’ awareness and perception toward OER, their contributions toward OER adoption, and the impact of existing resources on libraries’ support for OER. 

To achieve the above objectives, data will be collected from 342 professional librarians and 1,366 lecturers purposively sampled from eight accredited and chartered universities in Ghana. By the simple random technique, respondents will be selected to complete questionnaires. Furthermore, the head librarian from each of the eight (8) sampled universities will be interviewed.

Two separate semi-structured questionnaires comprising both open-ended and closed-ended questions have been designed for a survey; one for librarians and the other for lecturers. Questionnaire for librarians were derived from the Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) theory, and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The questionnaires are yet to be validated and pilot-tested. This would be done among a sample of librarians and lecturers before they are administered. Head librarians will be interviewed to seek in-depth knowledge and detailed understanding of some issues arising from the quantitative results.

As an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, the analysis and discussion of the quantitative results will consider appropriate questions and information from the qualitative research results. Pearson correlation and regression analysis will be used to analyze the quantitative data. Then after, the thematic method of analysis will be used to analyse the qualitative data. Finally, findings from the data will be used to develop strategies that would enable academic libraries to support OER adoption in their institutions as well as add to the existing body of knowledge on OERs in Ghana and Africa.

OER and Better Teaching (Lori-Beth Larsen) 

We know Open Educational Resources make sense for saving money for students. However, do open educational practices provide for better learning experiences? So far, in my research, I am finding that instructors who convert their courses to use open educational practices find themselves providing better learning experiences for their students. I plan to explore this as I narrow down my research topic and capture their stories in qualitative study style. 

The Feasibility of Implementing Standardised Data Literacy Services at Selected Private University Libraries in Kenya (Stanislaus Agava) 

In the previous workshop, I showcased my ongoing work as I approached the final stages of my thesis composition. My focus then was on data collection. The culmination of my efforts was aimed at constructing a comprehensive data literacy framework for adoption by university libraries in training researchers, including both faculty and postgraduate students.

For the upcoming workshop presentation, I will unveil the ultimate output of my research – the fully developed data literacy framework. Additionally, I intend to share insights from my journey as a graduate student pursuing a PhD. By that juncture, I will have already submitted my final work, eagerly anticipating my graduation, scheduled for April 2024.

Research Review (Jenni Hayman) 

Short review of research that will be presented at OEGlobal (5-year follow-on for my OER dissertation research) and upcoming research project for Summer 2025 on the effectiveness of an SDG-based MOOC for business students (across Canada). 

Join the session on Friday 13 October 2023 at 14.00-15.30 MDT via Zoom!

GO-GN Member and Alumni Presentations (16.00-17.30 MDT)

Further information on session presentations, where provided, are given below.

Becoming an Open Education Influencer (Gino Fransmann) 

An empowerment resource for students and staff to engage with Open and OER. 6 modules: Open / Ubuntu/ Advocacy/ Facilitation/ Influencing/ The Sustainable Development Goals. How to get access, and use the resource in your space. The session is a brief description of the project, sharing of student experiences as co-creators and participants, and guidance to access the resource via the Nelson Mandela University Open Moodle platform.

Imagining Futures for Scholarly Collaboration (Billy Meinke) 

Essentially sharing my draft prospectus, cross referencing the four barriers to participation/collaboration (a la Lessig) with the four futures as identified by Dator. I’m still identifying and narrowing down my mixed methods approach, and would like feedback from the GO-GN group. The goal is to articulate potential futures (collapse, moderation, innovation, escape) as related to the four barriers to collaboration (technical, social, financial, legal) so that we can move towards futures which are preferable, and understand how to avoid those which are not.

Join the session on Friday 13 October 2023 at 16.00-17.30 MDT via Zoom!