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ERIC Number: EJ830106
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Feb
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-0513
EISSN: N/A
The Road to Free and Open Educational Resources at the University of the Western Cape: A Personal and Institutional Journey
Keats, Derek
Open Learning, v24 n1 p47-55 Feb 2009
Free and Open Educational Resources at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are deeply rooted in our institutional culture, stemming from the role we played in the struggle for political freedom in South Africa. The successful development of a strategy has been influenced by this history, as well as the role of a champion in the main decision-making structures. There is little doubt that the brand recognition of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the originator of the "MIT Open Courseware" initiative played a role in the acceptance of the strategy within the UWC. The focus at the UWC is on the benefits of freedom that include social justice, rather than solely on the utility benefits, hence the continued use of the term "Freedom" within the conceptualisation and the choice of licences consistent with that concept. Implementation of the strategy has to be sustainable within the institutional context, so the implementation of it is linked to the e-learning tools that are in use at the UWC, which from 2009 will automate the sharing of courseware via a standards-based repository. It is also linked to building sustainable institutional support through the activities of the eLearning Development and Support Unit of the university. (Contains 2 tables.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A