Overview
This course aims to develop the capacity of staff across Irish Higher Education and Further Education in relation to Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP).
It builds on the National Forum’s previous work in developing open capabilities across the sector, including the Using OER and OEP for Teaching and Learning resource and the National Resource Hub. It also reflects the National Forum’s positioning of openness as a strategic priority within its enhancement and capacity-building agenda.
The course is strategically aligned with:
- UNESCO Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (2019);
- Dubai Declaration on Open Educational Resources (2024);
- EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027;
- Education for Sustainable Development to 2030;
- Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research;
- Knowledge Equity Network Declaration on Knowledge Equity;
- Cape Town Open Education Declaration;
- International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions resources.
The course is designed for Higher Education and Further Education staff who teach or support learning, including academic staff, librarians, instructional designers, learning technologists, and programme administrators.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe Open Educational Resources and Open Educational Practices and explain their relevance to quality, equity, and sustainability in Irish tertiary education;
- Evaluate appropriate OER and OEP approaches for teaching, learning, and assessment, considering quality, accessibility, equity, and legal and ethical dimensions;
- Identify practical and ethical considerations associated with using OER and OEP in the context of established and emerging technologies, including generative AI;
- Integrate OER and OEP appropriately into teaching, learning, and assessment within your own context and in alignment with institutional, national, and international priorities;
- Contribute to a culture of critical openness by developing, sharing, and sustaining open practices and contributing to relevant policy development.
Professional Development Recognition
On earning the open badge for this course, you will have achieved further recognition across the following domains of the National Professional Development Framework for Staff Who Teach:
- Domain 2: Professional Identity, Values and Development in Teaching and Learning — supports critical reflection on teaching and the development of the scholarship of teaching and learning;
- Domain 3: Professional Communication and Dialogue — emphasises the importance of clear and coherent communication within changing learning environments;
- Domain 4: Professional Knowledge and Skills — supports individuals in remaining current in their professional or disciplinary knowledge and applying evidence-based teaching, learning, and assessment practices;
- Domain 5: Personal and Professional Digital Capacity — recognises the importance of developing the digital skills needed to harness technology and improve learning.
Course Developers
This open course was developed by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in partnership with:
Universal Design for Learning Lead, Centre for Transformative Learning
University of Limerick
Associate Professor, School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies
Dublin City University
Learning Technologies and Learning Analytics Lead, Centre for Transformative Learning
University of Limerick
