Open Education

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class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-1"> <svg version="1.1" id="icon" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="0 0 481.859 375.35" enable-background="new 0 0 481.859 375.35" xml:space="preserve" class="ico"> <path fill: "#1f2222" d="M391.67,243.2c-74.49-46.85-139-3.91-139,3.44V90.51c0-27.75,36.92-42.71,82.47-42.71,21.9,0,41.74,5.18,56.5,13.65V243.2h0Zm-161.41, 3.44c0-7.35-64.51-50.27-139-3.44V61.44C106,53,125.85,47.8,147.75,47.8c45.6,0,82.51,15,82.51,42.71V246.64h0ZM242.58,56C231,44.91,164.73,6.58,74, 45.64V260H211.46c4.71,4.05,15.92,6.9,29,6.9s24.34-2.87,29.07-6.9H407.82V45.64C320.84,7.31,251.36,47.87,242.58,56Z" transform="translate(-3.5 -27.37)"/> <path fill: "#1f2222" d="M240.51,268c-12.75,0-24.22-2.7-29.45-6.9H72.93V44.91l0.67-.29C100.17,33.18,127,27.37, 153.24,27.37c48.35,0,80.59,19.35,89.36,27.09,9.17-7.64,44.46-26.15,90.37-26.15a185.91,185.91, 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22.22V90.51c0-28.74-40.88-41.6-81.39-41.6-20.64,0-40.28,4.68-55.39,13.18V241.2C114.8,227.47,138.28,220.51,162.19,220.51Z" transform="translate(-3.5 -27.37)"/> <line x1="13" y1="302.5" x2="237.43" y2="357.5" style="fill: none"/> <path d="M240.94,370.5a13,13,0,0,1-3.1-.38l-224.43-55a13,13,0,1,1,6.19-25.25l224.43,55A13,13,0,0,1,240.94,370.5Z" transform="translate(-3.5)" style="fill: #da2c35"/> <line x1="461.86" y1="302.5" x2="237.43" y2="357.5" style="fill: none"/> <path d="M240.92,370.5a13,13,0,0,1-3.08-25.63l224.43-55a13,13,0,1,1,6.19,25.25L244,370.13A13,13,0,0,1,240.92,370.5Z" transform="translate(-3.5)" style="fill: #da2c35"/> </svg> </div> <div class="col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"> <h1>Open Education</h1>  <p >Open Education encompasses resources, tools and practices that are free of legal, financial and technical barriers and can be fully used, shared and adapted in the digital environment. Open Education maximizes the power of the Internet to make education more affordable, accessible and effective.<br /> </p> </div> </div>  <div class="row sub-nav push-down lessthan3"> <div class="col-md-12"> <ul id="menu-why-it-matters-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-145" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-145"><a href="https://sparcopen.org/open-access/">Open Access</a></li> <li id="menu-item-144" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current-menu-item page_item page-item-139 current_page_item menu-item-144"><a href="https://sparcopen.org/open-education/" aria-current="page">Open Education</a></li> <li id="menu-item-143" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-143"><a href="https://sparcopen.org/open-data/">Open Data</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1080" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-1080"><a href="/impact-stories">Impact Stories</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </section> <article class="page-content sec-block sec-short"> <div class="container narrow push-down"> <div class="share-float"> <h6 class="share-label">Share</h6> <ul> <li> <a href="#" onclick=" window.open( 'https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent('https://sparcopen.org/open-education/'), 'facebook-share-dialog', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;"> <button class="fill facebook"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share on Facebook</span></button> </a> </li>  <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsparcopen.org%2Fopen-education%2F&text=Open+Education&via=&related=" target="_blank"> <button class="fill twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share on Twitter</span></button> </a> </li>  <li> <a href="#" class="addthis_button_email" addthis:title="Open Education - SPARC" addthis:url="https://sparcopen.org/open-education/"> <button class="fill email"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share via Email</span></button> </a> </li>  </ul> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"> <p>Education is essential to advancing society. It’s how we pass down the wealth of human knowledge and equip the next generation of leaders, innovators, and citizens.</p> <p>Expanding educational opportunities is more possible now than it has ever been before. Through the Internet, learners can find information instantly on virtually any topic, teachers can share their knowledge with students on another continent almost as easily as in their own classroom, and educational materials can be disseminated to a worldwide audience at virtually no marginal cost.</p> <p>However, our systems for sharing information in education have not caught up with the potential of 21st century technology. Instead, the educational materials market is held captive by legacy publishing models that actively restrict the dissemination and innovative use of resources in a world that craves educational opportunities. Textbook prices have continued to rise rapidly, leaving too many students without access to their required materials. Digital offerings from traditional publishers come laced with access restrictions and expiration dates with little savings in return, and print editions are too often out of date by the time they hit the shelves.</p> <p><strong>For too long, our educational systems have operated with a fundamental disconnect between practices left over from the analog world, and the vast potential of technology and the Internet to support more affordable, effective teaching and learning. The movement for Open Education seeks to close this gap.</strong></p> <p>Open Education encompasses resources, tools and practices that are free of legal, financial and technical barriers and can be fully used, shared and adapted in the digital environment.</p> <p>The foundation of Open Education is Open Educational Resources (OER), which are teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. Generally, this permission is granted by use of an open license (for example, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/">Creative Commons licenses</a>) which allows anyone to freely use, adapt and share the resource—anytime, anywhere. “Open” permissions are typically defined in terms of the “5R’s”: users are free to <a href="http://opencontent.org/definition/">Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix and Redistribute</a> these educational materials.</p> <h3 style="padding-top: 15px;">Why Open Education</h3> <ul> <li><strong>Textbook costs should not be a barrier to education.</strong> The price of textbooks has <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-368">skyrocketed</a> more than three times the rate of inflation for decades. College students face steep price tags that can top $200 per book, and K-12 schools use books many years out of date because they are too expensive to replace. Using OER solves this problem because the material is free online, affordable in print, and can be saved forever. Resources that would otherwise go to purchasing textbooks can be redirected toward technology, improving instruction, or reducing debt.</li> <li><strong>Students learn more when they have access to quality materials.</strong> The rapidly rising cost of textbooks in higher education has left many students without access to the materials they need to succeed. <a href="https://openedgroup.org/the-review-project/">Studies show</a> that 93% of students who use OER do as well or better than those using traditional materials, since they have easy access to the content starting day one of the course.</li> <li><strong>Technology holds boundless potential to improve teaching and learning.</strong> Open Education ensures that teachers, learners and institutions can fully explore this potential. Imagine a biology textbook that incorporates COVID-19 in the chapter about viruses, or a math tutorial that incorporates local landmarks into word problems. Imagine a lecture attended by hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, or a peer-to-peer exchange between Canadian students learning Mandarin with Chinese students learning English or French. All of this and more is possible when the pathways for technology in education are fully open.</li> <li><strong>Better education means a better future.</strong> Education is the key to advancing society’s greatest goals, from a building a strong economy to leading healthy lives. By increasing access to education and creating a platform for more effective teaching and learning, Open Education benefits us all.</li> </ul> <p><a name="getinvolved"></a></p> <h3 style="padding-top: 15px;">SPARC’s Work</h3> <ul> <li><strong><a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/sparc-oe-forum">SPARC Open Education Forum:</a> </strong>Vibrant discussion list for members of the open education community to share ideas, resources, and connect.</li> <li><a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/state-policy-tracking/"><strong>OER State Policy Resources</strong></a>: Check out our OER State Policy Tracker for the latest developments, or download the <a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/oer-state-policy-playbook/">OER State Policy Playbook</a>.</li> <li><strong><a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/automatic-textbook-billing/contract-library/">Automatic Textbook Billing Contract Library</a>:</strong> SPARC’s resource to help institutions examine the fine print behind “<a href="http://inclusiveaccess.org">inclusive access</a>” programs.</li> <li><strong><a href="http://inclusiveaccess.org">InclusiveAccess.org</a></strong>: Website managed by SPARC providing information about automatic textbook billing.</li> <li><a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/oer-mythbusting/"><strong>OER Mythbusting</strong></a>: Collaboratively developed resource dispelling the most common OER myths.</li> <li><strong><a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/open-education-leadership-program/">Open Education Leadership Program</a>:</strong> SPARC’s professional development program to empower library professionals as leaders for open education on campus. Not offered in 2025-26.</li> </ul> <h3>Supported Initiatives</h3> <ul> <li><strong><a href="http://opened.org">Open Education Association Development Project</a>:</strong> National initiative to advance collaborative action and strategic coordination on open education.</li> <li><strong><a href="http://openeducationconference.org">Open Education Conference</a></strong>: Annual conference for learning and sharing about open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open education initiatives.</li> <li><a href="http://oerdigest.org"><strong>OER Digest</strong></a>: SPARC co-authors this monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders.</li> </ul> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="container page-content-footer"> <div class="row button-list"> <ul> <li> <a href="/who-we-are/program-priorities/" target="_blank"> <button class="btn-outline">SPARC Program Priorities</button> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/sparc-oe-forum/" > <button class="btn-outline">Join the SPARC Open Education Forum</button> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="row social-list"> <h6 class="share-label">Share</h6> <ul> <li> <a href="#" onclick=" window.open( 'https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent('https://sparcopen.org/open-education/'), 'facebook-share-dialog', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;"> <button class="fill facebook"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share on Facebook</span></button> </a> </li>  <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsparcopen.org%2Fopen-education%2F&text=Open+Education&via=&related=" target="_blank"> <button class="fill twitter"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share on Twitter</span></button> </a> </li>  <li> <a href="#" class="addthis_button_email"> <button class="fill email"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i><span class="ac-hide">Share via Email</span></button> </a> </li>  </ul> </div>  </div> </article> <div class="container-fluid sec-block sec-block-gray sec-block-pattern"> <div class="container narrow"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <h2>Open Education Impact Stories</h2> <p></p> </div> <ul class="post-grid"> <li class="blockwrap col-md-4 "> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/project-in-colombia-connects-indigenous-communities-with-open-resources/" class="block"> <div class="img-cont" > <div style="background-image: url('https://sparcopen.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MASULEIN-AULA-1-kids-photo-6-Colombia-1024x768.jpg'); background-size: cover;"><img src="" ></div> </div> <div class="content"> <h4>Project in Colombia Supports Digital Connections in Rural Areas</h4> <p>While technology is transforming society, the benefits often depend on where you live and what...</p> <small class="cred-line">Photo courtesy of Leonardi Fernández 09/30/2021</small> </div> </a> <hr /> </li> <li class="blockwrap col-md-4 "> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/oer-saving-nursing-students-money-on-books-and-improving-success-at-chippewa-valley-technical-college/" class="block"> <div class="img-cont" > <div style="background-image: url('https://sparcopen.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Open-RN-Logo-Final-01-e1646687278311-1024x358.jpeg'); background-size: cover;"><img src="" ></div> </div> <div class="content"> <h4>OER Saving Nursing Students Money on Books and Improving Success...</h4> <p>Students interested in studying nursing often face financial hurdles, including the high cost of...</p> <small class="cred-line">Open RN</small> </div> </a> <hr /> </li> <li class="blockwrap col-md-4 "> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/impact-story/often-overlooked-sharing-of-hardware-is-a-missing-link-in-open-science-puzzle/" class="block"> <div class="img-cont" > <div style="background-image: url('https://sparcopen.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/32916234003_1dcfd6e777_o-1024x683.jpg'); background-size: cover;"><img src="" ></div> </div> <div class="content"> <h4>Often Overlooked Sharing of Hardware is a Missing Link in Open...</h4> <p>To promote more equitable research and discovery, many agree there needs to be greater access to...</p> <small class="cred-line">IMG_0968 by GOSH Community is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal)</small> </div> </a> <hr /> </li> </ul> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="post-feeds"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-4 box"> <h2>Popular Resources</h2> <ul> <li> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/landscape-analysis/2021-update/"><h5 class="feed-title">2021 Update to the SPARC Landscape Analysis & Roadmap for Action</h5></a> <span class="feed-links"><a href="/open-access/">Open Access</a>   <span class="sep">·</span>   <a href="/open-data/">Open Data</a>   <span class="sep">·</span>   <a href="/open-education/">Open Education</a></span> </li> <li> <a href="https://sparcopen.org/our-work/landscape-analysis/"><h5 class="feed-title">SPARC Landscape Analysis</h5></a> 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