The aim of open education is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access and participate in learning. This means lowering barriers to learning and increasing the availability of open offerings, such as open educational resources and open training. Open education makes use of pedagogical approaches and digital technologies that support self-directed, learner‑centered, and flexible learning independent of time and place. An open culture in teaching and research strengthens interaction with society.
Key concepts in open education include open educational resources (OER), open educational practices (OEP), and MOOC courses.
- Open educational resources are materials that are either free of copyright restrictions or published under an open license. They may include open online courses, textbooks, assignments, games, images, or videos.
- Open educational practices make teaching transparent and shareable. Such practices include, for example, sharing and co‑developing materials related to planning and delivering teaching (e.g., lesson plans, assessment criteria), or involving learners in designing their own learning pathways.
- Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide free and open access to online learning for everyone.
UEF open education policy
At our university, open education and the creation of open educational resources are guided by the University of Eastern Finland’s Open Science and Research Policy. This policy is based on both national and international guidelines and recommendations on open science and open education. In addition, open education must follow the principles of good scientific practice (TENK).
Principles:
- The reliability of the content of teaching and the open educational resources developed in connection with it as well as other aspects of quality are assessed in addition to transparency.
- The development and utilisation of open education and open educational resources respect copyright, data protection, and ethical practices.
- The development of open education and associated educational resources considers accessibility and suitability for a wide range of learners.
- The work done to improve the openness of education and educational resources is valued in the criteria of merit and in the planning of work tasks.
Objectives:
Open education is an important part of the social interaction of the University of Eastern Finland. The University is a pioneer and promoter of open education nationally and internationally. The University of Eastern Finland offers and markets education that is open to all. The production, preservation, distribution, and opening of education and educational resources are governed by legislation, agreements, and research ethics principles (Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, Responsible Conduct of Research). Teaching and learning practices aimed at transparency will be supported by strategic actions.
The opening of educational resources is encouraged, and open educational methods are developed and utilised extensively. The teacher’s merits in promoting open education and the opening of educational resources are appreciated. Students are offered opportunities and support for open education. The support services of the University of Eastern Finland have sufficient resources and competence to provide training, guidance, and support for the implementation of open education and open educational resources.
- It is encouraged to use existing open educational resources in teaching.
- The production of open educational resources and various open digital contents complies with accessibility requirements.
- Adequate knowledge of, for example, copyright and data protection must be ensured by producers of teaching and open educational resources (the authors). The author is responsible for ensuring compliance with the guidelines of the University of Eastern Finland and has the necessary rights for opening the material. The university offers ready-made contract models for this.
- The use of CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) licenses is recommended for open educational resources.
- The use of ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) in educational resources is recommended to identify the author.
- It is recommended that the metadata of open educational resources be stored in the National Library of Open Educational Resources (aoe.fi).
- It is recommended that open educational resources be linked or stored on a suitable storage platform according to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
- The use of open learning environments and the production and use of accessible educational resources are supported and promoted through the platforms offered by the university. The use of open learning and collaboration platforms and the interoperability of open educational services is promoted.
- Authors of open educational resources are encouraged to act as mentors and peer reviewers of each other.
- The production and opening of high-quality education and educational resources as well as the promotion of an open operating principle will be considered as merits.
UEF Open education support service
The UEF Open education support service provides our teaching and expert staff with guidance on implementing open education and on using, creating, and sharing open educational resources. The service is coordinated by the library.
We offer support, e.g., on opening educational materials, copyright issues, Creative Commons licenses, and accessibility.
Let’s find together the best way for you to promote openness in education!