Today, the OERu network launched a comprehensive input evaluation survey to inform design decisions for implementing our global open education initiative aimed at widening access to more affordable education.

Findings from the input evaluation will be discussed at the 4th Meeting of OERu partners to be hosted at North-West University in South Africa in October 2015. Design recommendations arising from the study will subsequently be tabled at the OERu Council of Chief Executive Officers meeting on 9 October 2015.

The OERu is distinctively open. Following open consultation and associated refinements to multiple versions of the survey instrument first tabled at the 3rd meeting of OERu partners, we are now excited to open the survey for responses. All OERu members, prospective partners and individuals interested in shaping OERu futures are invited to provide feedback by completing the online survey.

The founding OERu anchor partners recommended the adoption of the Context, Input. Process and Product (CIPP) evaluation model developed by Daniel Stufflebeam and colleagues. The CIPP model provides a comprehensive framework for guiding the design, development, implementation and evaluation of complex projects.

“To benefit from the collective expertise and experience of our OERu partners, the time is now right to investigate a range of design alternatives for implementing the OERu ,” said Jim Taylor, Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Queensland and member of the OER Foundation Board of Directors. “During the input evaluation phase, we will evaluate existing models of open practice and gather additional information to help the OERu team to assess and refine our current strategy.”

In June 2012, to assess project needs and challenges, the OERu context evaluation was conducted by the Australian Digital Futures Institute (ADFI) based at the University of Southern Queensland. The context evaluation assisted the OERu to better understand the international context and contributed significantly to the subsequent development of the OERu Strategic Plan 2015 - 2017 approved by the OERu Council of Chief Executive Officers in November 2014. To promote continuity, the OER Foundation has commissioned the ADFI to assist the OERu network with the input evaluation.

The survey data will be supplemented by a number of interviews with selected partners who have authentic experience in developing open online courses for the OERu. The submission of Institutional Action Plans (IAP) submitted by partners this year combined with regional OERu meetings to design and develop Open Business models will also be fed into the input evaluation process.

“Our work at the OERu in widening access to more affordable education is too important to fail through lack of planning” said Wayne Mackintosh, Director at the OER Foundation. “With the rigour of open collaborative planning, I’m confident that the input evaluation will improve the impact and long-term sustainability of our endeavours by providing the information for well-informed, evidence-based decision-making.”

Respondents are requested to complete the online survey by 31 August 2015 so that a report can be tabled at the forthcoming OERu partners’ meetings in October 2015.

Image attribution

Dialing the right open source mix, published by opensource.com under CC BY-SA 2.0 license.