2019 ETUG Spring Conference and 25th Anniversary

This presentation will discuss the factors and tensions that were identified as we attempt to foster a culture of openness in an institution while it developed a graduate program with openness as a core design principle. Openness was adopted as a program goal predicated on the philosophical stance that openness and open educational practices facilitate collaboration and cultivate networked learning in its many forms as necessitated by the digital age.

This presentation will discuss factors including institutional norms, leadership, relationships, humility and criticality that were identified as being instrumental in fostering a culture of openness at the school, faculty, and university levels. It will share the tensions and conceptual, practical and technical challenges experienced in developing a culture of openness in a higher education institution that to date has no formal institutional open education strategy or open policy in place. After setting stage, we will engage participants using an OER tool that has been developed by the authors to assist in identifying factors in their own institution that may facilitate the inclusion of openness in its many forms. Tensions and enablers will be identified and strategies for moving forward individually and collectively will be discussed.

The suggested flow for the workshop is as follows:
•Welcome and orientation to the work and the research (10 – 15 min)
•Individual completion of the OER tool for identifying tensions and enablers in fostering openness (15 min)
•Pair/share or group review tensions and enablers identified (20 min)
•Large group discussion, feedback and next steps (10 min)


We believe that openness in practice is much more complex than advocates note, and we hope that by sharing our experiences, and discussing them with other practitioners will benefit our collective ability to navigate the complexities that are inherent in the act of implementation.