OERs in the Army
When it comes to OERs, the military (at least in my home country) is way ahead of the game. In the article "Sharing Microlearning Materials as OER" by Word & Dennen (2021), it was highlighted that one of the main obstacles faced by the sharing of educational material are intellectual property issues (where important resources are not permitted to be shared due to licensing issues).
In my organization, the army was quick to recognize that in a highly specialized context, certain formations are best placed to act as "custodians" or Subject Matter Experts on certain forms of military training. For example, all vehicle operation training and certification would be under the jurisdiction of the Combat Service Support, the Infantry were the SMEs for all route marches and physical fitness activities, while say, parachuting skills were the domain of the Commandos. However, the Army also recognized that other units (not belonging to the formations) would also have to conduct such training for their own soldiers. As such, a system was implemented whereby the the domain experts would develop the necessary lesson plans, training materials and educational resources before hosting them on an commonly shared platform for everyone in the Army to access and learn to conduct such lessons by themselves. Units conducting these trainings would then provide ground-up feedback to the domain experts to see where the training can be adjusted and refined, to make the training safer and better conducted.
Through this process, I can see the value of OERs and I do believe that in an ideal world, all knowledge should be made free and accessible to all. Only by learning, receiving feedback and revising can one's knowledge on a subject matter be deepened, and processes made more robust. I look forward to the day where academic materials can feasibly be made public.
What are your thoughts?
I appreciate your military perspective. It is interesting to me how a large organization handles the flow of information and training. I too would like to have learning more open. I believe knowledge empowers people. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBesides just making knowledge open and accessible, there must be funding and support to ensure that the materials are updated. This week, I have been seeing a lot of OER that was more than 10 years old, and nobody seems to be updating them.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon,
DeleteThank you for responding! You are absolutely right! In our organization, the custodians are responsible for reviewing their materials once every three years (at least) to ensure that the information are still relevant and updated.
I think it is more structured and systematic in the military, as there already exists such a necessity. When it comes to the education sector, things might be a bit more complicated (I am just hypothesizing) as maybe even materials from 10 years ago can still be relevant in today's context. I would like to know more on your perspective and challenges you face as an educator!