Supervisor: judith ter vrugte
In this internship, you will look into the professional development of teachers for using OER (Open Educational Resources) in education. Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational materials in any format and medium that have been released under an open license. This license permits no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others. In theory, OER impacts crucial factors like the experience of autonomy of the teacher and the quality of education.
This topic can be chosen as internship only, but also allows for a combination with your thesis, which would involve a design-based approach where the validation (internship) would be complemented with a design based study resulting in a study guide that fosters the application of the model in practice (which accommodates the needs of different stakeholders).
About the organization
The Impuls Open Learning Materials (IOL) program aims to improve the quality of foundational education (i.e., primary, specialized, and secondary education) by investing in the development of high-quality open learning materials and their distribution and use. When properly implemented, the use of open learning materials increases student motivation, reduces school dropout rates, improves learning outcomes, and enhances alignment with society and professional practice. Additionally, open learning materials in education allow us to quickly respond to current societal issues. It is also more efficient to use learning materials developed by colleagues or non-profit organizations rather than creating everything from scratch. We do this within four themes, with the ambition that open learning materials become a fully-fledged option for teachers and that we organize working with open learning materials in a sustainable manner.
To facilitate the organization of the professional development of Dutch teachers in foundational education a model has been developed: ‘Het Leerwiel (Learning wheel)’. The model was developed based on practical insights and interviews with experts in the field. It lists a collection of competencies that depict the ability of a teacher/team to successfully adopt OER.
The next step is to frame the developed model within the field of educational research. Additionally the goal is to design a guide that fosters the application of the model in practice and accommodates the needs of different stakeholders.
Alert
The content of the model ‘Het Leerwiel (Learning wheel)’ is in Dutch, and so will be some of the expected output for the program IOL. The literature review can be done in English and your supervision can be in English too.
METHOD
As part of this internship, you’ll collaborate with the project leaders OLP and Research from Impuls Open Leermateriaal.
As an intern in the work package Developing, Sharing, and Implementing Knowledge, you are responsible for carrying out the validation of the Learning Wheel (Leerwiel). This generally involves going through three steps and delivering a report on the findings.
- Theoretical foundation (providing scientific evidence that supports the importance of the elements in the Learning Wheel)
- Qualitative research (interviews with focus groups of Learning Wheel users)
- Expert validation (expert consultation)
EXAMPLE PRODUCT INCLUDES
A report with the following components:
1. A concise literature review with the theoretical foundation of the model:
- Overview of relevant recent sources, which can be based on a recent review study
- Overview of core theories directly related to the Learning Wheel
2. The results of the qualitative research:
- A summary of the main findings from the interviews/focus groups
- Identified themes and patterns that support or challenge the model
- Examples of practical experiences that illustrate the model
3. An expert validation report:
- Overview of the consulted experts and their qualifications
- Summary of expert feedback
4. A conclusion summarizing the main findings and assessing the validity of the model:
- A summary of the key findings from the literature review, qualitative research, and expert validation
- An assessment of the extent to which the model is supported by theory, practice, and expert opinion
- Identification of strengths and potential weaknesses or areas for further development of the model
- An overall conclusion about the validity and applicability of the model in educational practice
- Recommendations for possible adjustments or refinements to the model
- Suggestions for next steps, such as pilot implementation or further research
REFERENCES
Clinton-Lisell, V. (2021). Open pedagogy: A systematic review of empirical findings. Journal of Learning for Development, 8(2), 255-268.
HAN (2024). Open education: open pedagogy. Via: https://libguides.studiecentra.han.nl/c.php?g=679717&p=4926242
Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of open pedagogy: A model for using open educational resources. Educational Technology, 3-13.