The Whys and Hows of Open -- Transforming Learning Through Open Pedagogies and Practices

Meet two UBC faculty members who are creating and participating in innovative open education initiatives. In addition to hearing their stories, the session will also explore the motivations, experiences, and challenges in embracing open.

Open education can be understood as a collection of practices that utilize online technology to freely share knowledge and to increase access to learning. The creative act of designing an open course or project can also lead to new pedagogical approaches. This session will feature Christina Hendricks and David Vogt, faculty members who are creating and participating in innovative open projects and courses, including:

- M101 – a localized, open online course on mobile education that is designed as knowledge asset and professional network
- Why Open? – a facilitated and collaborative course that explores the different meanings of open in various industries as well as the benefits and issues with open
- #ooe13 – an open professional development course on educational technologies
- DS106 – an open, online course on digital storytelling that is hosted by the University of Mary Washington and that is currently being offered as a “headless” version this term with volunteers in charge of facilitating particular weeks during the course
- ETEC522, PHIL102, Arts One & More – on campus courses which are incorporating student blogs, wikis, backchannels and more

In addition to hearing their stories, the session will also explore the motivations, experiences, and challenges in embracing open. We will discuss the impact openness had on their pedagogy and use of technology as well as explore how to determine if these efforts are meeting the instructors goals and improving the student experience.

Speaker Bios:

Christina Hendricks is a Senior Instructor who regularly teaches both in Philosophy and in Arts One. While on sabbatical during the 2012-2013 academic year, she did research on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, particularly on the topics of peer feedback and assessment and learning communities such as Arts One. She also participated in several open online courses (some of them “MOOCs”), including ETMOOC (Educational Technology and Media MOOC: http://etmooc.org) and DS106 (Digital Storytelling 106: http://ds106.us). As a result of these experiences she got involved in planning and facilitating a couple of other open online courses, and has started to make her on-campus courses more open and available to others to view and possibly participate in.

David Vogt is Director of Digital Learning Projects for the UBC Faculty of Education and Director of Innovation Strategy for the UBC MAGIC Lab. He has maintained a career-long interest in harnessing the learning potentials within emerging technologies. His unusual trajectory as an academic, innovator and businessman provides a unique perspective on the future of learning. He is author and instructor of ETEC 522 Ventures in Learning Technology.

Location: Dodson Room, Level Three

This is part of the Open UBC series of events, celebrating International Open Access Week and Celebrate Learning Week at UBC. For more information visit the Open UBC website.