17 Open Educational Practice: Caveat Emptor
Som Naidu
17.1 Introduction Som Naidu
The case for open educational resources and massive open online
courses is clearest and strongest when seen within the broader
conversation around open educational practice. This comprises open
access to educational opportunity, and alternative modes of learning as
well as engagement with open scholarship. While the case for access to
educational opportunity and approaches to various modes of open
learning are now widely recognized and accepted, the case for
engagement with open scholarship is not entirely clear and convincing.
This chapter explores the major confounds around the case for open
scholarship to separate the hype from the facts, and shed light on ethical
and moral issues surrounding engagement with open educational
practices. Implications of these practices for the roles, responsibilities
and commitments of universities as well as other educational institutions
in society, and the framing of a values driven and future-proofed
curriculum for them are outlined and discussed.
