Also known as open educational practices (OEP) or OER-enabled pedagogy, open pedagogy is the practice of engaging with students as creators of information rather than simply consumers of it.
Open pedagogy is a form of experiential learning in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creation. It’s also inviting students to be part of the teaching process, participating in the co-creation of knowledge.
The products of open pedagogy are student-created and openly-licensed so that they may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater community. This means that open pedagogy projects frequently result in the creation of open educational resources (OER).
“Interview with Rajiv Jhangiani on 'Enhancing Pedagogy via Open Educational Practices'” by MacPherson Institute.
One method of engaging in open pedagogy is the development of renewable assignments. These are assignments in which students actively participate and contribute to the larger knowledge commons by creating OER.
Some may be familiar with assignments that are somewhat similar to renewable assignments, like “authentic assignments” or “constructionist assignments” which have that project-based, learn-by-doing connection in which students are asked to do the kinds of things that the course of study is preparing them to do in the real world. Renewable assignments move beyond authentic and constructivist assignments in that the work produced is open and available to a wider public for use and reuse.
“Criteria Distinguishing Different Kinds of Assignments” by David Wiley and John Hilton is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.
| Value | Description |
| Sharing | Freely sharing content and knowledge. Individuals allow others to use what they create to further their own personal and professional development. This may be done through collaborative efforts, publishing open articles, or openly licensing creative works in a way that permits use as open educational resources. |
| Transparency | Transparency is evident in the purpose of educational activities, expectations, and practices for assessment. Transparency is also provided into the values inherent in education such as how knowledge has been constructed and how one’s own biases, beliefs, and values impact the teaching/learning dynamic. |
| Collaborative Knowledge Construction | Knowledge is not viewed as complete, unchanging, or being determined by those traditionally in positions of authority. Educators and learners acknowledge the value of and participate in efforts to construct knowledge together. |
| Deconstruct Traditional Power Structures | Concerted efforts are made to evaluate and evolve power structures in the educational environment, such as the traditional teacher-student relationship. Voice is given to those in underrepresented groups and those with authority move instruction away from a deficit model of learning. |
| Personalize Learning |
Authority is given to learners to determine what is learned, how it is learned, how mastery is demonstrated, and/or when learning takes place. This personalization takes place in traditional classroom settings as well as non-traditional learning environments. |
| Learner Empowerment | Learners are empowered in all aspects of their learning -- from participation in knowledge creation and recognition of how learning occurs to the assessment of themselves and others. |
Adapted from “Values Espoused in Open Pedagogy” in Deconstructing Open by Eric Werth and Katherine Willians which is licensed under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
Check the EdTech Tools Database, created by Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), to determine which of the following may be Temple-supported tools as well as other tools that could be useful for your purposes.
Subject librarians or specialists can work with you to create renewable assignments and in-class activities that center students as creators of knowledge and contribute to the larger knowledge commons by creating OER.
Also, Temple’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching offers consultative services for faculty and resources on various aspects of instruction.
