The report of the Working Group of the Länder and the Federal Government takes a position on the question of the usability of "Open Educational Resources" in teaching and learning processes as well as on measures and framework conditions for the development of a corresponding pedagogical and technical infrastructure. Starting from a definition of the of "Open Educational Resources", the report first discusses the potential and challenges for the systematic integration and promotion of OER in the German education system. Pedagogical, organisational-functional, technical, legal and economic aspects are examined. Subsequently, measures to be implemented in the short and medium term will be recommended, focusing on the central search mechanism and the secure availability of OER, accompanied by activities to ensure quality assurance as well as to promote the creation of OER. In conclusion, the positive impact possibilities for OER in the context of current demands on teaching and learning are emphasised. At the same time, the necessary support for this development process on the part of the Federal Government and the Länder is pointed out.
The report includes six recommendations: 1. Establishment of a new or the support of already existing (national) platforms on the Internet, on which references to various OER-sources - and if useful also on individual OER - can be made available, found and downloaded. 2. Improve legal certainty in OER licensing 3. Sensitize to the potentials of OER 4. Promote knowledge through research on OER 5. Intensify European and international cooperation on OER 6. Creation of an information and coordination point for OER, in particular for schools and lifelong learning.
The report prepared the OERinfo Funding programme, which was published in early 2016. It was created by a joint working group which consisted of members from both the federal and the state level as well as by external experts.
- English
- German
I´m wondering if this document (following "the report") alone can already be considered to be a policy. It is a basic strategic report, which prepared the ground for the following OERinfo Richtlinie. The OERinfo call for proposal also refers to this report. The relation of these two elements is unclear to me: 1. Is the the report the policy and the call for proposal part as part of the programme/funding line part of its implementation? 2. Or is the policy made up from the report and the call for proposal? 3. Or could it be, that the call for proposal is the real policy, and the report is only some sort of preparation.
My idea is, that characteristic for a policy is the underlying management decision. The report allone does not include a management decision, it is a pure preparation. By following the recommendations in the report and setting up the OERinfo funding line, a decision was taken, so that we can speak of a policy. Therefore I would tend to argue, that the Policy is made up of two elements (report and call for proposal).
And here comes another related observation: The field "status" does not seem to fit. The OERinfo funding line phase 1 has been accomplished by now, so you can consider it to be inactive by now. But it would seem strange to me to consider the report to be "inactive" or "dead".