Saylor Academy joins forces with OERu
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Saylor Academy recently announced their decision to join the OERu international partnership.
Saylor Academy is a nonprofit initiative working since 2008 to offer free and open online courses to all who want to learn. Saylor has published and offers nearly 100 full-length courses at the college and professional levels, many of which are recommended for university-level credit in the United States. All Saylor courses are openly licensed as open educational resources (OER).
“We have had a long kindred connection to the OERu’s mission and an allied, but unofficial working relationship. We now strengthen those bonds to help push the global open education movement forward to create more ultra low cost credentials and college credit for students around the world.“
~Jeff Davidson, Executive Director of Saylor Academy
This partnership formalises a long exchange between Saylor Academy and the OERu. Some longstanding OERu member institutions have remixed Saylor courses for use in the OERu 1st year of study leading to exit qualifications in Business and Arts for learners around the world.
“The Saylor Academy is a pioneer of open education with an outstanding reputation in OER,“ said Wayne Mackintosh, Director of the OER Foundation. “The OERu is excited to have Saylor as a compelling addition to our global network, widening access to free and open online courses with affordable pathways to gain micro-credentials and recognised qualifications worldwide.”
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| Wayne Mackintosh (UNESCO/ICDE Chair in OER), and Sean Conner (Director of Community Relationships, Saylor Academy) ~ Photo courtesy of James Glapa-Grossklag |
Saylor Academy joined the 6th International Meeting of OERu Partners as the newest network member. The meeting was hosted by eCampusOntario at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 12 and 13 October 2017 setting the ground work for developing the OERu‘s strategic plan for 2018-2020.
The Saylor Academy‘s partnership with like-minded OERu institutions demonstrates the potential amplifying effect of networked innovation over working alone.