The Porous University symposium was brought together in the University of the Highlands and Islands in May 2017. The symposium coalesced around a series of conversations and reflections on the nature of openness within Higher Education. Read more…
Have you ever looked for an academic research article online? A clinical trial for a new drug, for instance, evidence for the effects of climate change, or a study into the experiences of young LGBTQ people attending secondary school? If you study or work at a university, you may take access to this research for granted, but if not, you will often encounter a “paywall”; a screen that asks you to sign in to read further, or to pay a one-off charge.
My thoughts on Community Open Online Courses – COOCs – is that it is a vitally needed platform and resource for the enablement of knowledge sharing as well as personal and group development. Increasingly the production of knowledge is being coopted by market values which is resulting in the narrowing of who gets to make meaning, and who gets valued in our culture for having created public content. Read more…