Open Education and Open Educational Resources (OERs) have garnered a burgeoning interest amongst higher education and library professionals in tertiary institutions across Southeast Asia. In an effort to meet this interest, an idea was sparked and conversations initiated to inaugurate an open education group specifically for the ASEAN higher education community. Herein began the OER-SIG: ‘Open Educational Regional – Special Interest Group’.
The OER-SIG proposal was launched at the 17th AUNILO Meeting, to gain association support of AUNILO (formerly ASEAN University Network Inter-Library Online) and to generate a broader reach. Whilst communities of practice such as interest groups are plentiful in the areas of open education, this group specifically aims to build awareness and discussion on open education issues and trends contextually relevant to the ASEAN region. Such issues include OER in Asian languages; awareness of local resource-sharing platforms; and diverse OER formats inclusive of rural Southeast Asian contexts, such as print formats.
Presently Co-Chaired by Singapore Management University (Singapore) and Mahidol University (Thailand), the interest group meets quarterly online for activities encompassing small-group sharing or discussion sessions; casual presentations from members or guests; as well as occasional planned larger-scale webinars with an invited speaker which are open to a broader audience, as after all 'Open is Everyone’s Business'! The interest group has successfully welcomed diverse members from across countries including Singapore, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, amongst others.
One year on and after the conclusion of the SIG’s very first full-year, this presentation will cover the rationale, purpose and objectives for setting up the interest group, along with the full journey from the initial inception of the idea to the earliest conversations for developing cross-border partnerships to garner support for establishing the SIG. Activities and outcomes from the first year will also be briefly shared.
Building a regional interest from the ground up is not without its challenges and learnings, including maintaining in-between meeting communication and sustaining group momentum with limited resources. The SIG is still very much in its early stages, with more potential to learn and grow over time with maturity.
Through the OER Special Interest Group for ASEAN, it is hoped that the group as a community of practice will continue to encourage the sharing of best practices and experiences with OERs amongst higher education and library professionals, as well as ignite discussion on open education issues and trends directly relevant to Southeast Asia to promote impact in the region and beyond.
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[Session 7B]: OE Practice in the GLAM sectorAuthor KeywordsOpen educational practices, Open practitioners, Communities of Practice
