3.1: Why Open Matters
We begin this subunit by reflecting on why open matters for learning in a digital age. We consider the meaning of the freedom to learn and access to published research knowledge in a digital world. We explore the context for open education, copyright, and open licensing as it relates to learning.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights commits to free education, at least in the elementary stages. Many do not extend the notion of “free education" to the college level, although the marginal cost of replicating digital content is near zero. In this subunit, we explore how open online initiatives can widen access to college-level education in affordable ways.
Upon successful completion of this subunit you will be able to:
- explain the importance of sharing knowledge freely within the context of global demand for access to education; and
- discuss the implications of why open matters for learning in a digital age.
Stephen Downes is a specialist in online learning technology and new media. He has worked with the National Research Council of Canada since 2001 and has been engaged with many leading edge research and development projects in e-learning. Downes is perhaps best known for his daily newsletter, OLDaily, which is distributed by web, email and RSS to thousands of subscribers around the world. Stephen is a popular speaker, appearing at hundreds of events around the world over the last fifteen years.
Stephen recorded the following video for an open course on open content licensing for educators hosted by the OER Foundation and it provides a fitting introduction to our initial focus on why open matters for learning in a digital age.
Read the following short article and then watch the video recording of Desmond Tutu reflecting on the importance of freedom in education.
Scientific research and dissemination of knowledge are key functions of the university. Traditionally, scientific knowledge is distributed through a process of peer-reviewed journals. Profit margins of commercial publishers of scientific journals are in excess of 30% compared with the profit margin of 12–15 percent for commercial magazines (Buranyi 2017[1]). From 1978 to 2014, the cost of academic textbooks has risen more than 800% which is more than triple the cost of inflation for the same period (Moules 2016[2]). In this section, we will reflect on and discuss the potential of open initiatives to widen affordable access to knowledge in a digital age.
