Nominations for an Open Education Award for Excellence include a statement of how a person or resource/project exemplifies one or more of the Principles of Open Education and/or aligns with the Goals of Open Education as described in the OEGlobal’s strategic plan, Open for the Public Good.
A strong nomination will include a statement that makes clear a nominee’s demonstration of these elements of open education.
OEGlobal Principles of Open Education
Openness is guided by principles or characteristics of
- Non-proprietary – resources aren’t mine or yours – they’re shared
- Participatory & inclusive – anyone can play an active and participatory role
- Transparency – visibility, no black box, anyone can see the inner workings and assumptions
- Shared decision making and control – not hierarchical command and control
- Customizable – can be built upon, made personal/local
- Access – everyone has access through open permissions
- Collaborative – ability to work together and enhance each other’s work
- Iterative – release early and often, rapid prototyping, learn by doing, continuous mprovement
- Meritocracy – good ideas can come from anywhere, value diverse perspectives
- Community – unite people around a common purpose
OEGlobal Goals of Open Education
- Open Education is Socially Just – Open education leads with antiracist, decolonized, inclusive, representative, and equitable perspectives so that every learner is heard, respected, and included. Open education is free of language, cultural, geographic, racial, and gender/identity barriers.
- Open Education Is A Public Good – Open education is a shared public good. The public has access to it and can use it to serve the public good. Open education contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goal number four which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all people.
- Open Education is Inclusive – Resources, pedagogical practices, and technologies are used to create accessible, affordable, adaptable learning resources and approaches that can be customized and localized. Open education is inclusive of language and culture.
- Open Education is Accessible, Affordable, and Adaptable – Open education offers equal access to learning both online and offline, in digital or physical form, in rural and urban areas, regardless of abilities, consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning. All learners can access open education resources at low-cost to no-cost. Open education resources can be translated, localized, improved, kept current, and personalized for each teacher and each learner.
- Open Education is Collaborative, Facilitated by Community and Stewards – Teachers, learners, and open education stewards work together to create, facilitate, and encourage open education, including open educational resources, open practices, and open pedagogies.
- Open Education is Impactful – Open education maximizes education participation globally. The community measures impact, shares experiences, and promotes research supporting open education’s effectiveness and benefits. Open education is designed to sustain itself and persist by inspiring a culture of sharing, continuous improvement, and value co-creation.