Category Archives: oa.teaching

Knowledge and experience of Zambian teaching faculties with scholarly communication and dissemination practices | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the knowledge and experience of Zambian teaching faculties with scholarly communication and dissemination practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers used a survey to quickly obtain information about a large sample of individuals of interest. The study population consisted of faculties from two Zambian public universities with research and publication experience. The researchers used random sampling techniques. A total of 125 valid responses were received from the selected population.

Findings

The findings show that most respondents agreed that publishing in open-access journals increased visibility and readership, had a more significant impact, facilitated collaboration and interdisciplinary research, was cost-effective and provided accessibility. Google Scholar was the most commonly used platform, followed by ResearchGate and ORCID.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s limitations focus on only two Zambian public universities. This study’s practical implications include improving the universities’ open-access policies and educating faculties on the benefits of open access.

Originality/value

This study’s originality lies in exploring the Zambian teaching faculties’ perceptions of open access and academic social networking sites. The results of this study can help universities and researchers in Zambia to understand the importance of scholarly communication and dissemination practices and help them implement effective policies for promoting open-access publishing, institutional repositories and academic social networking sites.

Edinburgh Open Research Conference 2024, May 29, 2024 | The University of Edinburgh

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The forthcoming Edinburgh Open Research Conference (EOR) will take place on?Wednesday 29th May 2024. While the conference will be hybrid, we ask that all contributors attend in person. 

Edinburgh University is committed to making Open Research the new normal and a vital part of achieving that is by contributing to positive culture change within research. But how do we and other institutions go about this?   

So, this year, we are asking the question: 

How can Open Research contribute to positive Culture Change in Research more broadly? 

The focus will be on the role of Open Research in changing research culture for the better. We will come together to ask how principles of FAIRness, reproducibility, recognition, integrity, and participation can steer us towards a healthier, more vibrant research environment. We will also consider the underlying factors that can drive research culture change in all its forms, how we can measure progress, and how Open Research intersects with other aspects of research culture that involve a shift in research value, behaviour, expectations and attitudes such as EDI, health and working patterns. 

The three central themes of the conference will be:  

Next Generation Metrics 
Research Integrity 
Education and Skills 

But we also welcome contributions addressing the other Pillars of Open Science; FAIR Data, Scholarly Communications, Reward & Recognition, Citizen Science, & EOSC 

We are seeking the following types of contributions addressing this question in the form of:  

Talks (15mins) 
Lightning Talks (5 mins) 
Posters  

We are keen for an array of speakers from a range of backgrounds (academic, professional services, and students). We especially welcome contributions from early career researchers, junior professional services staff, and technicians.

 

OEN Offers Freely Available Resources in Open Pedagogy & Open Educational Practices – Open Education Network Blog

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“The Open Pedagogy Student Toolkit is a guidebook for a student audience authored by Jamie Witman, OEN Open Educational Practices Specialist. Published last month, the open educational resource (OER) is available on Pressbooks and Google Drive for students interested in developing foundational knowledge of open pedagogy. The book offers basic definitions, examines student benefits, and delves into student rights and responsibilities as co-creators. ”

The quantification of Open Scholarship – a mapping review | Quantitative Science Studies | MIT Press

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Abstract:  This mapping review addresses scientometric indicators that quantify open scholarship. The goal is to determine what open scholarship metrics are currently being applied and which are discussed, e.g. in policy papers. The paper contributes to a better understanding on how open scholarship is quantitatively recorded in research assessment and where gaps can be identified. The review is based on a search in four databases, each with 22 queries. Out of 3385 hits, we coded 248 documents chosen according to the research questions. The review discusses the open scholarship metrics of the documents as well as the topics addressed in the publications, the disciplines the publications come from and the journals they were published. The results indicate that research and teaching practices are unequally represented regarding open scholarship metrics. Open research material is a central and exhausted topic in publications. Open teaching practices, on the other hand, play a role in the discussion and strategy papers of the review, but open teaching material is not recorded using concrete scientometric indicators. Here, we see a research gap and discuss potentials for further research and investigation.

The quantification of Open Scholarship – a mapping review | Quantitative Science Studies | MIT Press

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Abstract:  This mapping review addresses scientometric indicators that quantify open scholarship. The goal is to determine what open scholarship metrics are currently being applied and which are discussed, e.g. in policy papers. The paper contributes to a better understanding on how open scholarship is quantitatively recorded in research assessment and where gaps can be identified. The review is based on a search in four databases, each with 22 queries. Out of 3385 hits, we coded 248 documents chosen according to the research questions. The review discusses the open scholarship metrics of the documents as well as the topics addressed in the publications, the disciplines the publications come from and the journals they were published. The results indicate that research and teaching practices are unequally represented regarding open scholarship metrics. Open research material is a central and exhausted topic in publications. Open teaching practices, on the other hand, play a role in the discussion and strategy papers of the review, but open teaching material is not recorded using concrete scientometric indicators. Here, we see a research gap and discuss potentials for further research and investigation.

The Value of Articles Published in Journals Focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Use of Citations and Altmetrics as Indicators of Value | SpringerLink

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Abstract:  The value of articles published in journals devoted to the scholarship of teaching and learning constitutes a relatively unexplored topic of inquiry within the broader field of inquiry on the scholarship of teaching and learning. This article addresses this topic using citations and four types of altmetrics as indicators of value. We used a sample of 100 articles published in four SOTL focused journals: two high consensus journals (BioScience: Journal of College Biology Teaching and The Journal of Chemical Education) and two low consensus journals (Teaching History and Teaching Sociology). In addition to the level of consensus of the discipline of these journals, we also measured the institutional type of the first authors of these articles and the type of study of the article. We advanced three conclusions from our data analysis with the first one being of particular significance to SOTL work. This conclusion is that the pattern of findings of this study cry out fairly loudly that articles published in SOTL-focused journals hold value to users of the articles as expressed through citations of them, as well as mentions of them through various altmetrics. Moreover the similar magnitudes of this value transpires regardless of the institutional type of the article’s first author and whether the article recommended a practice or recommended content. However, the value ascribed to articles differ according to the level of consensus of the field of the SOTL journal, which show a difference in article views, Twitter mentions and Mendeley uses.

UH Students Author Chinese Popular Culture Dictionary through Open Pedagogy Collaboration | University of Houston Libraries

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“Dr. Melody Yunzi Li, assistant professor of Chinese in the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, collaborated with the UH Libraries department of Open Education Services to create the first volume of a student-authored dictionary of Chinese popular culture terms.

Students in the spring 2023 Chinese Popular Culture course each defined three popular culture terms for their midterm assignments and were invited to contribute their work to this digital open educational resource (OER). This was the second successful collaboration with Dr. Li, following the development of another student-authored textbook for her Tales of East Asian Cities course last fall….”

Copyright Law in Academia (Urheberrecht in der Wissenschaft) | German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF)

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Authors: Till Kreutzer and Georg Fischer, iRights.Law;

English abstract (via deepl.com):

The updated and completely revised handout “Urheberrecht in der Wissenschaft” (Copyright in Science) provides practical and comprehensible answers to typical questions on copyright for teaching and research.

These include, for example, the use of third-party materials or the creation and publication of one’s own copyright-protected works.

German original abstract:

Die aktualisierte und vollständig überarbeitete Handreichung “Urheberrecht in der Wissenschaft” beantwortet praxisnah und verständlich typische Fragen zum Urheberrecht für Lehre und Forschung.

Diese umfassen etwa die Verwendung von Materialien Dritter oder die Erstellung und Veröffentlichung eigener urheberrechtlich geschützter Werke.

The New Alexandria Foundation – Rebuilding the ancient world anew, digitally.

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“The objective of New Alexandria is to develop and nurture an open environment for learning, teaching, and research about premodern civilizations that is inclusive, collaborative, and restlessly innovative. Instead of flattening the differences between ancient and current ways of representing the world, we seek to see more clearly the lively unfamiliarity of the ancient way. Instead of selectively extracting elements of ancient life from their historical contexts, we seek a holistic approach that is interdisciplinary and that integrates anthropological and other socially-informed methodologies. The basic rationale is that cultural and human differences are “good to think with,” vital for humanism and even for humanity….

 

 

Our aim is to take the best that we know and think about premodern civilizations and to make it available to anyone with access to the internet by way of a phone, a tablet, or a computer, at home, in a library, in a park, or on a bus. As our data will be free and open for all to use and engage with, so also must our interpretations of it be free and open, and so also the software that we create for accessing it and analyzing it must be free and open….”

How Students Can Document Scientific Phenomena | Edutopia

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“Given that technology plays a larger role in how students collect their facts about a topic, it makes sense to give them more dynamic opportunities to show what they know. One approach could be asking students to make meaningful connections between information learned in class and their “real life” surroundings. Open access to information doesn’t necessarily create more knowledgeable critical thinkers. A limitless supply and convenience of access may often lead to information overwhelm. A key starting point for science teachers is to distinguish the content that can be observed in a concrete and accessible way. 

 

A method I use to build scientific habits of mind is asking learners to document phenomena outside of the classroom with a personal photo. I challenge students to look for examples of what we’re learning in class in the outside world. Students demonstrate their understanding by creating common links between what happens in the confines of the classroom and the unpredictability of the natural world. This activity can inspire deeper analysis, classroom discussion, and broadening of student understanding of the topic….”

“Open Access Publishing for English Language Learners” by David Patent, Sarah Tomlinson et al.

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Abstract:  Open access publishing for English language learners reinforces the notion that valuable perspectives can be shared with the academic community before attaining an idealized threshold of English language proficiency. This report offers a description of three case studies that illustrate how open access repositories can be used to provide publishing opportunities for English language learners and stimulate interest in academic writing. Historical background on open scholarship publishing is included, along with implications for policy. The report expands on a panel discussion presented by the authors at the 2023 EnglishUSA Professional Development Conference.

 

Teaching open and reproducible scholarship: a critical review of the evidence base for current pedagogical methods and their outcomes | Royal Society Open Science

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Abstract:  In recent years, the scientific community has called for improvements in the credibility, robustness and reproducibility of research, characterized by increased interest and promotion of open and transparent research practices. While progress has been positive, there is a lack of consideration about how this approach can be embedded into undergraduate and postgraduate research training. Specifically, a critical overview of the literature which investigates how integrating open and reproducible science may influence student outcomes is needed. In this paper, we provide the first critical review of literature surrounding the integration of open and reproducible scholarship into teaching and learning and its associated outcomes in students. Our review highlighted how embedding open and reproducible scholarship appears to be associated with (i) students’ scientific literacies (i.e. students’ understanding of open research, consumption of science and the development of transferable skills); (ii) student engagement (i.e. motivation and engagement with learning, collaboration and engagement in open research) and (iii) students’ attitudes towards science (i.e. trust in science and confidence in research findings). However, our review also identified a need for more robust and rigorous methods within pedagogical research, including more interventional and experimental evaluations of teaching practice. We discuss implications for teaching and learning scholarship.

 

Big-Team Science Applied to Open Educational Resources and Metascience: Building Open Science’s Sustainability Through Pedagogical Communities

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“While the wave of scientific reform is influencing scientific practices and norms globally, the current model of higher-education is largely outdated with respect to open science. Big-team science can be of service to pedagogical reform towards the integration of open science principles into the prototypical courses across STEM, social-sciences, and the humanities, including diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. In this webinar, you will learn about initiatives of the Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT) which address the underappreciated pedagogical aspect of open and reproducible science using big-team science approaches to mitigate teachers’ and researchers’ time constraints in developing course and peer-to-peer training materials as well as improving their research practices. Get an overview of FORRT, followed by a brief introduction to nine current ongoing FORRT projects.”

All Things Open Week 2023 | All Things Open

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“The Kennesaw State University (KSU) Libraries invites you to join us at the inaugural All Things Open Week, April 3-7, a series of events dedicated to promoting inclusive and intentional open access practices regardless of discipline or audience. If you are passionate about open pedagogy, open data, or open science frameworks, you’ll find something useful from these presentations….”

Open Educational Resources through the European Lens: Pedagogical Opportunities and Copyright Constraints by Giulia Priora, Giovanna Carloni :: SSRN

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Abstract:  The adoption of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in schools and universities is a phenomenon on the rise also in Europe. Increasingly relying on digital, open, freely adaptable materials that are specifically designed for educational purposes is not only a response to the disruptions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, but a consistent policy step towards a more inclusive, diverse, and quality education in the EU. The article examines the potential and constraints of OERs from both a pedagogical and legal perspective. It demonstrates how this type of resources are fit for purpose to achieve diversity, knowledge co-creation, and students’ agency in the educational ecosystems. It also flags points of weakness of the EU copyright legal framework, such as the lack of harmonization of rules on co-authorship and adaptation, that need to be tackled to fully enable OER-enabled pedagogies across the Union.