The OpenCourseWare Consortium are old friends of P2PU, and so we’re delighted to share the news that 5-10 March 2012 has been declared the first annual Open Education Week. A global event, Open Education Week seeks to raise awareness about the benefits of free and open sharing in education, especially Open Educational Resources (OER).
“The vision of the OER movement is to improve teaching and learning globally through free and open sharing. OER give people access to the educational content they desire, independent of time or location. The movement encompasses producing, sharing, using and modifying content, as well as innovative models of educational delivery,” said Mary Lou Forward, Executive Director of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. “Open Education Week is going to showcase projects, resources, people and ideas so more people around the world can see its potential and its benefits.”
Open Education Week is being planned by representatives of Open Education institutions and organizations from around the world and coordinated by the OpenCourseWare Consortium. Global events will feature projects and resources as well as more general information about the OER movement. Live webinars will be scheduled in different time zones and languages throughout the week. Information and pre-recorded presentations also will be available on the website, along with a virtual tour of a variety of open educational projects and available OER. All virtual and live events are free and open to the public. Visit www.openeducationweek.org for more information.
The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a community of more than 250 universities and associated organizations worldwide committed to advancing opencourseware sharing and its impact on global educational opportunity. The mission of the OpenCourseWare Consortium is to advance formal and informal learning for educators and self-learners around the world through the sharing and use of free, open, high-quality education materials packaged as courses readily accessible on a digital platform. The Consortium showcases its members to a global audience and provides information and training through webinars, newsletters, and free and open opencourseware materials. For more information, visit http://www.ocwconsortium.org.