Introduction to Open Pedagogy
Tricia Boucher
Learning Objectives
- Open Pedagogy definition
- Open Pedagogy and student success
- Adapting to Open Pedagogy
What is Open Pedagogy?
Based on Constructivist learning theory, Open Pedagogy centers students in the learning process, engaging students to understand new information in light of previous knowledge or known contexts. It centers students as creators, not just consumers, of knowledge.
In practice, Open Pedagogy is a form of teaching that embraces collaboration, student agency, and authentic audiences. Faculty create learning experiences in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creating learning objects for others. Created using open and participatory technologies, the student creators are invited to openly license their work so that the products of open pedagogy assignments may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater community.*
How does Open Pedagogy support student success?
- Makes learning more collaborative.
- When students create learning materials – either alone or in a group – they are better able to explain things in ways their peers will understand.
- Allows for equitable representation within the material.
- Student-created materials are more likely to provide representation that other students recognize and identify with.
- Engages students with their larger communities and/or professional fields, so their learning has meaning beyond the grade they earn.
- By widening the audience for student work beyond the individual student and faculty member, the student’s work takes on more meaning.
- Provides free materials and sustainable peer-to-peer learning.
- Students creating learning objects for each other (and others) means free learning materials!
Do I need to change my entire course to Open Pedagogy?
No!
Adapting to using Open Pedagogy in the classroom is a a little daunting – it can be difficult to move from being “the sage on the stage” to “the guide on the side”.
And it can be a lot of work to do all at once.
The good news is that you can take it in small bites and only incorporate those levels of openness that make sense for you, your students, and your course content. You can incorporate Open Pedagogical practices into your courses as you see fit, and in your own time. Once you start using Open Pedagogical strategies, you might find that they improve student learning and engagement, and feel more confident in transforming other parts of your courses in the future.
Open Pedagogy can be as simple as transforming a single assignment to Open (from disposable to renewable), to inviting students to help co-create the syllabus and course itself. Continue to the next chapter to learn more about assignment transformation.
Digging Deeper
How can I find out more?
- Starting out in Open Pedagogy? Contact Tricia Boucher, your helpful Open Pedagogy Librarian.
- Interested in looking at an Open textbook about Open Pedagogy?
- Read this classic (and very short) article in the Open Pedagogy Notebook.
- Want to know what students think of Open Pedagogy? Check out What Open Education Taught Me from a student at Keene State College or Miranda Dean’s blog post What an Open Pedagogy class Taught Me About Myself.
Open Pedagogy is a form of teaching that embraces collaboration, student agency, and authentic audiences. Faculty create learning experiences in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creating learning objects for others. Created using open and participatory technologies, the student creators are invited to openly license their work so that the products of open pedagogy assignments may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater community.*
*Adapted from University of Texas Arlington's "Introduction to Open Pedagogy".
