SS: Will there be any resistance from current education set up?
MP: Of course. OER adoption requires a new way of thinking and behaving.
It requires costly resources to implement.
Institutions in India may not see any threat to their current revenue model (yet!)
However, let us flip this question around and ask: Is Status Quo Sustainable?
- Can you afford not to participate in the sweeping changes gaining momentum in education today?
- Will your students be able to compete in the global work force effectively without it?
- Will you be able to attract and retain the best and the brightest teachers in your school without it?
In fact there are compelling reasons to adopt OER:
- Better Learning Outcomes
- Excellent opportunity to learn from high quality top notch material
- Students motivation who can review the course material at their own pace and time
- Faculty development and recognition
- The school cannot retain its competitive edge without it.
This is what I would encourage the Education Institutes to do:
– Become familiar with OER
– Explore your Options: Create a Strategy, Implementation Plan and
– Guidelines for OER adoption
– Allocate Resources: Technical, Financial and Promotional
– Promote OER, Train Faculty and Students for OER adoption
– Don’t let Technology stand in the way of adoption, start small and experiment. Adapt and Tailor OER to your unique needs.
– Give teachers tools to select, organize and use high quality OER effectively
– Track Progress, Recognize and Reward Effort and Performance
SS: Why OER is important for India?
MP: OER has the promise of meeting soaring demand of education in India. India needs additional 800 universities and 35,000 colleges by 2020 to reach goals set for higher education,” According to Shri Kapil Sibal, Former Human Resource & Development Minister, Govt. of India-India faces shortage of nearly 1.4 million trained teachers, Deccan Chronicle, July 7, 2013
OER, as catalyst to Faculty Development, is the key to meet the exploding demand of Education in India.
SS: Thanks a lot. Picture of OER is clear and bright.
