Mind the Gap: Structural Holes, Open Educational Practice and the Third Sector

Opening Educational Practices in Scotland

Mind the Gap: Structural Holes, Open Educational Practice and the Third Sector

Ronald Macintyre & Pete Cannell@roughbounds & @petecannell@OEPScotland #OER17 #OEPS

Cite as: Macintyre R., Cannell. (2017)Mind the Gap: Structural Holes, Open Educational Practice and the Third Sector,OER17: Politics of Open, 5th -6th of April 2017, London, UK, CC BY NC SA 4.0

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Session Structure• OEPS, and Open Educational Practice• Minding the Gap• Case Studies• Parkinson’s UK• Scottish Union Learn

• Emerging Patterns and Practices• Concluding Remarks


About usThe Opening Educational Practices in Scotland project facilitates best practice in Scottish open education. We aim to enhance Scotland’s reputation and capacity for developing publicly available and licenced online materials, supported by high quality pedagogy and learning technology.

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What do we mean by OEP?We think of Open Educational Practices as those educational practices that are concerned with and promote equity and openness. Our understanding of ‘open’ builds on the freedoms associated with “the 5 Rs” of OER, promoting a broader sense of open, emphasising social justice, and developing practices that open up opportunities for those distanced from education.

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Minding the GapDigression into what it means to mind Common usage, to be carefulIn Scots, to recall or remember, e.g. Begbie on the overnight bus to London in Trainspotting, “Did you mind the cards”

Bluewhale646 (2013) Francis Begbie, http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/File:Francis_Begbie.jpg, CC BY SA

http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/File:Francis_Begbie.jpg

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Minding the GapThe Gap

• Work on failings of Public and Market suggest we read those failing through their absent presence

• Work on Third Sector and on Values based organisations suggests we see their role as filling structural holes

A shared sense of “minding”, of concern, or caring about the gaps in peoples learning journeys

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UK Parkinson’sThe Gap …

• Low paid insecure staff are often neglected in work based training

Why Mind … • Front line provide care and are best placed to be

advocates for those they care for

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UK Parkinson’sWhat difference does open make … For Parkinson’s UK… it is about reach, exploring innovative approaches to inform [members] VLE, reputation For learners … none at all, [but] it is not tied to a job or employer [mobility], they can share it with co-workers [socialise content]

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Scottish Union LearnThe Gap ... •Employer and funding pressure meant offer was increasingly focussed on work related learningWhy Mind ..

• Values of the organisation, focus on collective models of learning and lifelong learning, beyond instrumental values

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Scottish Union LearnWhat difference did open make•developing new education opportunities and support digital participation•The approach – built on organisational values, self directed and social support, collective learning, •Still digital challenges, employers attitude, capacity to support those that are supporting others in the workplace


Emerging Patterns and Practices

Partnership with “trusted sources” embedding openness in context, it works, e.g. Parkinson’s UK sticky

Challenging notions of open as only “self directed” through social and collective approaches

Macintyre R. (2015) Union Learning Workshop: Glasgow, CC BY NC SA 4.0



Growing Interest from values based organisations in free open online

Agree Disagree

Participants were asked to place a dot on an imaginary line between the two positions at the SCVO event “The Gathering”, the largest Third Sector event in Europe, (n=52)



Growing Interest from values based organisations in free open online

Agree Disagree




Some common concerns

Agree Disagree




Some common concerns

Agree Disagree



Concluding RemarksPositives for Open community, points to some “joined up thinking” around shared values and concerns – points towards shared practice “of minding”

BUT

Remember …. signalling wider social and structural issues, as these organisations look to “mind the gaps”

Macintyre R. (2016), Just because we are in the same boat, CC BY NC SA 4.0


Questions


AcknowledgementsTommy Breslin and John Slaven (Scottish Union Learn), Claire Hewitt (Parkinson’s UK), all the learners and SUL Learning Representatives attendees at workshops and contributions from those at the SCVO “The Gathering” who shaped our understanding.