OEGlobal 2024

In response to growing demand from academics requiring resources on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for their students, Charles Sturt Librarians developed an Open Education Resource (OER) titled Using AI tools at university. This resource aims to equip university students and researchers with the knowledge and skills necessary to utilise AI tools productively, ethically and responsibly. Our project, undertaken collaboratively by Charles Sturt Librarians, seeks to democratise access to AI literacy.

Generative AI technologies and AI tools for research are increasingly prevalent in academic settings, yet students and researchers often lack guidance on the responsible and ethical use and how they can be used productively. Our OER addresses this gap by providing comprehensive information on AI tools, their applications, and ethical considerations. The resource emphasises the importance of understanding AI biases, data privacy, and the ethical implications of AI-driven decisions.

The benefits of OER for students are extensive. Research indicates that using OER enhances student learning (Cheung, 2019) and serves as an effective learning intervention by providing equal access to educational resources for all students (Grimaldi et al., 2019). Open textbooks can be continuously and easily updated to remain relevant, which is especially crucial given the rapid advancements in AI. Considering the importance of equitable access to information for our students and the challenges posed by traditional publishing models, such as high costs and restrictive licensing, OER offers valuable resources that ensure equitable access for all students.

The Pressbooks platform was used and incorporated interactive media and active learning through H5P. It seamlessly embedded in the learning management system plus allowed direct linking to specific chapters, when students had assessment requirements requiring specific AI literate information and evaluation. The project not only provided specific resources at the request of academics needing information on AI use for their students assessment tasks but was expanded to provide a complete AI literacy resource that can be used by all undertaking research. It covers algorithmic literacy (Ridley & Pawlick-Potts, 2021), understanding bias, developing competency in critical ignoring (Kozyreva et al., 2023), detecting hallucinations and communicating with AI through effective prompt engineering (Lo, 2023).

The project also had a secondary objective to familarise Librarians with developing content for an OER with then having a locally produced OER to demonstrate to academics. This initiative aligns with the broader movement towards open education and the sharing of knowledge across institutions.

Our OER, Using AI tools at university, empowers students from diverse backgrounds to engage actively with AI tools. By breaking down complex concepts into understandable modules, we foster responsible AI use and encourage student contributions to AI development. Moving forward, we aim to expand this resource and integrate it into existing digital literacy modules across disciplines. This integration will support the development of critical thinking and digital literacy skills, preparing students for the evolving digital landscape.



Included in [Session 3D]: Digital Capability, Artificial Intelligence

References
Cheung, S. K. S. (2019). A Study on the University Students’ Use of Open Educational Resources for Learning Purposes. Technology in Education: Pedagogical Innovations (pp. 146-155). Springer Singapore.

Grimaldi, P. J., Basu Mallick, D., Waters, A. E., & Baraniuk, R. G. (2019). Do open educational resources improve student learning? Implications of the access hypothesis. PloS One, 14(3), e0212508. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212508

Kozyreva, A., Wineburg, S., Lewandowsky, S., & Hertwig, R. (2023). Critical ignoring as a core competence for digital citizens. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 32(1), 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221121570

Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720

Ridley, M., & Pawlick-Potts, D. (2021). Algorithmic literacy and the role for libraries. Information Technology and Libraries (Online), 40(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v40i2.12963

Author Keywords
Artificial Intelligence, Algorithmic Literacy, Open Educational Resources, GenAI, Digital Literacy, AI Literacy, OER, Open Textbooks

Since Open is everyone’s business, and Generative Artificial Intelligence is portrayed as a mechanism whereby to scale education for everyone everywhere, it is fundamentally problematic that large language models, which are utilised, amongst other functions, for the translation of texts, literally require a very large corpora of texts - on both sides - to function adequately. To demonstrate this, examples will be given of problematic translations from English into isiXhosa, which produce errors even at an elementary level of education.

Practitioners from the Global South realistically fear a widening of the divide as a result of the fact that many local, indigenous languages only have a small corpus of texts online. This could potentially lead to a data race, and concerns would be raised as to whether copyright may be violated in the uploading of texts. But the far more overarching concern is that of an increased dominance of already dominant languages, which could be read as a re-colonisation and negatively impact on local indigenous cultures and ways of knowing as well as impacting on the dissemination of indigenous knowledge systems.

The presentation will reflect on how Generative Artificial Intelligence functions, systematically cover issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access that arise as a result of using it when only a small corpus of texts is available, and then ask participants to reflect upon open education policies and strategies that arise as a result especially given potential negative impacts in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, AI in this context not only relates to SDG 4, but also on 6 & 7 in terms of sustainability as AI consumes massive amounts of fossil fuels and also water, 9 in terms of the infrastructure required, 10 in terms of inequality and 12 in terms of responsible consumption and production.

The presentation will also refer to recent research indicating that while the power of the model has grown and grown with the size of the training datasets, that recent evidence is that these power curves are starting to level off and this has implications in terms of sustainability.



Included in [Session 3D]: Digital Capability, Artificial Intelligence

Author Keywords
Artificial intelligence, Sustainability, Open education policy and strategies, Inclusion diversity equity and access, Local Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing

The possibilities for using AI in education are exploding. AI is already widely used in education, and with the recent emergence of generative AI, the possibilities are being more actively explored. However, ethical concerns about the use of AI continue to arise. In particular, teachers, who take the lead in education, need to be empowered with ethical competencies that consider the impact of AI and digital technologies while using AI.

Accordingly, this study aims to develop a framework for teachers' ethical competencies in AI and its sub competencies and behavioral indicators. To this end, an initial competency framework and behavioral indicators were developed through a systematic literature review. At the same time, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 in-service teachers and implications were derived according to Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis procedure.

The findings of the study, based on the synthesis of the literature review and the interview results, revealed a set of AI ethics competencies for teachers consisting of awareness, judgment, and practice, with corresponding sub-competencies and behavioral indicators. This study has significance in that it systematically presents the ethical competencies of teachers for coexistence with AI amid the ongoing development of AI from a post-humanistic perspective.



Included in [Session 3D]: Digital Capability, Artificial Intelligence

Author Keywords
AI in Education, Ethical Competence, Teacher Education

Fostering faculty participation in adopting Open Educational Resources can be challenging when faculty lack full competency in digital literacy. Digital literacy is a pillar of UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goals and integral to the adoption of OER. Creating resources and training to provide faculty comfort in learning digital literacy can help in the buy-in and adoption of OER. This requires collaboration in a variety of areas across campus and identification of people who can teach these skills in multiple areas.

This presentation will focus on how to use public relations tactics to create buy-in among faculty members that promotes institutional spread of digital literacy and OER across a small, non-profit minority-serving institution in the United States.



Included in [Session 3D]: Digital Capability, Artificial Intelligence

References
https://prsa.org iabc.com

Author Keywords
Digital competence, Public Relations, Open Educational Practices, Open Educational Strategies

This study explores the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into robotics programming education to enrich inquiry-based science learning, particularly in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) domains, with a focus on its impact on elementary science education. Through hands-on STEAM activities, students enhance problem-solving skills, collaboration, and develop a strong interest in science learning. Utilizing Scratch, a free and open programming language, students not only learn programming basics but also deepen their understanding and application of scientific concepts. The research targets elementary school students, incorporating technology, mathematics, and physical education into a series of STEAM education experiments. Results underscore the importance of open educational resources in supporting STEAM education, enhancing scientific learning, fostering creativity, and teamwork, thereby positively influencing educational equity and quality. The example of a baseball robot illustrates the potential benefits and challenges of utilizing open educational resources.

Inquiry-based science learning encourages questioning, investigation, and knowledge construction through exploration and experimentation. Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence, especially Generative AI (GenAI), offer novel tools to enhance this educational approach. This paper examines how integrating GenAI can enrich the learning experience, focusing on a STEAM project involving the design and implementation of a baseball robot.

Utilizing the 6E experiential learning model, GenAI assumes multiple roles across the learning stages. Initially, in the Engage phase, GenAI acts as a catalyst, captivating student interest through Scratch, thereby igniting curiosity. In the subsequent Explore phase, GenAI transitions into a mentor, providing tailored learning pathways and resources, facilitating guided exploration. As the learning progresses into the Explain phase, GenAI transforms into an instructor, simplifying intricate concepts and theories through textual content. During the Engineer phase, GenAI serves as a design assistant, assisting students in utilizing tools like LEGO SPIKE for project development. Moving forward to the Enrich phase, GenAI becomes an inspiration, expanding students' knowledge and fostering interdisciplinary integration and innovative thinking. Finally, in the Evaluate phase, GenAI transitions into an assessor, delivering real-time feedback and assessments to aid students and teachers in reviewing and reflecting on learning outcomes. GenAI plays a crucial role in scientific inquiry activities, offering expertise, guidance, and support throughout the project phases, thereby enriching students' learning experiences and fostering knowledge exchange in STEAM fields.

The combination of GenAI and Open Educational Resources (OER) in STEAM education enhances learning by personalizing pathways, improving accessibility, and ensuring quality education for all. This model fosters students' passion for science and technology, enhances problem-solving skills, and cultivates future innovators. It demonstrates the potential of Generative AI in modern education, emphasizing the importance of open education in global learning initiatives.



Included in [Session 3D]: Digital Capability, Artificial Intelligence

References
Burke, D. (2014). E byDeSGN" Model. Chiou, G.-L., Lee, M.-H., & Tsai, C.-C. (2013). High school students’ approaches to learning physics with relationship to epistemic views on physics and conceptions of learning physics. Research in Science & Technological Education, 31(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2013.794134

García-Carmona, A. (2020). From Inquiry-Based Science Education to the Approach Based on Scientific Practices. Science & Education, 29(2), 443-463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00108-8

Hwang, G.-J., Yang, L.-H., & Wang, S.-Y. (2013). A concept map-embedded educational computer game for improving students' learning performance in natural science courses. Computers & Education, 69, 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.008

Inguva, P., Shah, P., Shah, U., & Brechtelsbauer, C. (2021). How to Design Experiential Learning Resources for Independent Learning. Journal of Chemical Education, 98(4), 1182-1192. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00990

Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.

Kuen-Yi Lin, H.-S. H., P. John Williams & Yu-Han Chen. (2020). Effects of 6E-oriented STEM practical activities in cultivating middle school. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2018.1561432

Li, X., Muniz, M., Chun, K., Tai, J., Guerra, F., & York, D. M. (2022). Inquiry-Based Activities and Games That Engage Students in Learning Atomic Orbitals. J Chem Educ, 99(5), 2175-2181. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01023

Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational_and_self_regulated_learning. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33

States, N. L. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/doi:10.17226/18290

Wang, H.-H., Moore, T. J., & Roehrig, G. H. (2011). STEM Integration: Teacher Perceptions and Practice. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284314636

Author Keywords
STEAM, Programming Education, Exploratory Learning, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Computational Thinking

This session presents a reflective narrative of my experience in a post-graduate diploma program in education conducted in online mode, utilizing Microsoft Teams as the primary platform. As a teacher and administrator, we were assigned to facilitate a group of 40 students in nine different subject classes from 6.00 PM to 9:30 PM for a semester of 6 days a week. The experience of this one session has also emphasized the potential of effective teaching in Nepal's open education among digital capabilities and problems and challenges to reduce the digital divide.

In a developing country like Nepal, limited access to digital infrastructure has created significant challenges to implementing open education effectively. But using free available (only for education institutions) Microsoft Teams, we navigated these challenges to create an engaging and inclusive learning environment for our students. When using various methods of teaching and learning, such as synchronous lectures, and asynchronous discussions, it was observed that students should be informed about the condition of the equipment and use the appropriate software tools according to learner devices.

Our approach was committed to enhancing digital literacy among students and enhancing subject knowledge. We incorporate curriculum content and digital skills development, empowering students to search for, archive, authenticate online resources, and critically evaluate digital content. Given the nature of the subject, organizational complexities emerged and resources were generally attempted, but in the absence of digital skills and teachers and learners, the need for careful planning and coordination emerged.

Through the use of instant messaging apps such as What’s app, Facebook Messenger, and Viber as well as the use of MS Teams communication channels to coordinate the management of online classes, we were in regular contact with the students, providing timely feedback and support to facilitate their learning journey. In the absence of digital skills, we used data analysis tools instead of traditional methods to track student progress, identify areas for improvement, and provide instruction accordingly.

Despite the challenges posed by digital skills, better internet, tools, and the digital divide, the flexibility of both teachers and students emphasized digital skills development and curriculum adaptability. By embracing digital technologies and developing digital competence, we can overcome barriers to educational access and equity, empowering learners to thrive in the digital age. Therefore, we must commit to advocating for policies and initiatives that prioritize digital inclusion and equal access to education through open and distance learning. By fostering collaboration between academic institutions, the private sector, government agencies, and academia, we can bridge the digital divide and unlock the full potential of open education to transform lives and communities in Nepal and beyond.



Included in [Session 10B]: Digital Capability

Author Keywords
OER, Digital divide, Digital skills, Open education, PGDE, Teacher Education

Learning design is the development and creation of learning and teaching experiences based on pedagogical theory and practice. This process might include resource generation, collaboration and sharing between colleagues and the use of participatory technologies (Conole, 2015). It requires learning designers (LDs) to act as well as performing as change agents in higher educational institutions (Bond, Lockee & Blevins, 2023). These attributes are also central to Open Educational Practices (OEP) (Hegarty, 2015), suggesting that effective learning design could be invaluable in advancing Open Education movement. Discussions about learning design often overlook the identity of the LD (Heggart, 2021).

In their position at the nexus of subject areas, institutional priorities and student experience, LDs have been characterised as the connectors between different fields of knowledge and working practices (Roberts, et al., 2023) and problem solvers and change agents (Pollard & Kumar, 2022). OEP and open pedagogy hold the promise of advancing ethical and inclusive education, fostering learner equity. LDs are positioned strategically to facilitate the realisation of making OEP everyone’s business for higher educational institutions. However, this position between fields of knowledge, sometimes labelled the ‘third space’, can put LDs on the margins of education. Their role as change agents can seem peripheral or is not a priority in advancing OEP for their institution.

In a study of LDs and OEP in education institutions, Morgan (2019) found that LDs consider themselves advocates of open education and seek out opportunities to engage in OEP. However, the LDs in the study experienced restrictions on this advocacy; limitations included lack of time, space, and support from leadership. There was a disparity between the intentional and operational agency of the LDs. In the Australian context, there has been little exploration of this relationship between LDs and OEP.

In this presentation, we report on preliminary findings from an initial literature review aimed at understanding the role of LDs in advocating for OEP. Early insights, combined with reflections on our practice, indicate that while libraries and librarians often take the lead in discussions about OER, LDs are not as engaged when the conversation shifts to learning and teaching. Initial feedback from stakeholders highlights the importance of cross-pollination between LDs and other teams, including librarians, faculties and senior management. We believe that everyone has a specific role to play in advancing OEP.

Our focus will be on the core practices of learning design, emphasising that catering to the student learning journey through the constructive alignment of the curriculum is fundamental to effective learning design and central to OEP. UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 calls for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. By cultivating an understanding of LD agency in OEP, higher education institutions, and all institutions that employ LDs, can ensure their strategy includes the professional development and capacity building needed to move LDs from the periphery to the centre of OEP advocacy.



Included in [Session 10B]: Digital Capability

References
Bond, A., Lockee, B., & Blevins, S. (2023, October 31). Instructional Designers as Institutional Change Agents. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/10/instructional-designers-as-institutional-change-agents Conole, G. (2015). The 7Cs of learning design. In J. Dalziel (Ed.), Learning Design: Conceptualizing a framework for teaching and learning online (pp. 117-145). Routledge. Heggart, K. (2021). Formulated Professional Identity of Learning Designers and the Role of Open Education in Maintaining that Identity. In A. Marcus-Quinn & T. Hourigan (Eds.), Handbook for online learning contexts: Digital, mobile and open: policy and practice (pp. 21-34). Springer International Publishing AG. Morgan, T. (2019). Instructional Designers and Open Education Practices: Negotiating the Gap Between Intentional and Operational Agency. Open Praxis, 11(4), 369-380. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.11.4.1011 Pollard, R. & Kumar, S. (2022). Instructional Designers in Higher Education: Roles, Challenges, and Supports. The Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 11(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.59668/354.5896

Author Keywords
Open educational practices, Learning design, Agency

The Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN) [1] is an international network of doctoral researchers and alumni who work in the field of open education. The network currently has 179 doctoral researcher and alumni members, an increase of 54% since 2020. Our members’ institutions are based in 28 different countries around the world and approximately 30% of our membership is based in the Global South. The GO-GN network also includes a wider community of several hundred experts, supervisors, mentors and other interested parties who connect to form a community of practice. Open is GO-GN's business!

GO-GN supports and connects our members, raises the profile of member research and actively promotes and explores openness as a form and function of research. Central to our mission are equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). We achieve these aims in a range of ways, including holding regular online events (such as member research specials, guest speaker events and edit-a-thons), face-to-face workshops, collaborative publication opportunities (e.g. our Open Research Handbook) [2] sprints (e.g. on OEP and AIED) and 1:2:1 sessions. This increased diversity of our offer reflects both our response to the Covid-19 pandemic and our community of care approach [3].

Hosting events to support and connect our doctoral researchers prior to major international open educational conferences are a priority for GO-GN. Last year we celebrated our 10th anniversary in Edmonton, Canada prior to the Open Education Global 2023 conference [4]. Prior to OE Global 2024 we will be holding a two-day symposium and workshop to enable networking, the sharing of research and collaboration. Our symposium on day one will comprise networking and research sharing activities. The focus of day two’s workshop, which will be open for participation from the wider open education community, will be to progress our EDI work, particularly in the Asia and Pacific regions.

We are proposing a presentation session at OE Global 2024 to showcase and amplify the voices and research of our doctoral researcher and alumni members who will be participating in our workshop and this year’s OE Global conference. This session will facilitate and support networking through the sharing of research between GO-GN and the wider OE Global community. The presentation will begin with a very brief overview of GO-GN, followed by a series of short interactive lightening talks from GO-GN members on their research. These lightening talks will provide insights into the diversity of current doctoral research into open education. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions, interaction and feedback in this fast-paced session!



Included in [Session 10B]: Digital Capability

References
[1] http://go-gn.net [2] https://go-gn.net/gogn_outputs/open-research-handbook/ [3] e.g. Weller, M. (21 July 2020) GO-GN community in a time of crisis (https://blog.edtechie.net/go-gn/go-gn-community-in-a-time-of-crisis/) and Weller, M., Farrow, R., Pitt, R. & Iniesto, P. (2021) Care and Community in the GO-GN network. OERXDomains 2021 Conference (https://open.library.okstate.edu/oerxdomain2021guide/chapter/care-community-in-the-go-gn-network/) [4] https://go-gn.net/category/10th-anniversary-workshop/

Author Keywords
Open Research, Open Educational Practices, Open Education, Doctoral Research, Community of Practice, Community of Care, Co-creation, Collaboration, Equity Diversity and Inclusion

When we started setting up a portal for Open Educational Resources at universities in Lower Saxony in 2019, now known as twillo.de, we were not the first in Germany to embark on such a project. At the same time, state-wide repositories in the higher education sector were also set up and disseminated in other federal states. A centralised platform could have saved resources here, but the approach of distributed repositories offers greater potential for innovation through the possibility of testing different approaches and lightweight further development. It was clear from the outset that the repositories still needed to be merged so that teachers and students would not end up having to search numerous sources in parallel. For this reason, we started building a central OER search index for distributed and heterogeneous OER repositories in 2020, which has since then been publicly available at oersi.org.

As it turned out that searching through a much larger amount of materials in OERSI was much more convenient and performant than searching in our own repository itself, we decided to develop a plugin for WordPress with which we could integrate the search functionality of OERSI into the twillo homepage. OERSI offers the option of submitting queries via an open API and receiving the metadata. This solution has shown that the approach of integrating the search into websites is also becoming increasingly interesting for other providers of OER platforms as well, as the configurability of the plugin also allows specific parts of materials to be preselected. For example, a university of education can limit itself to the subjects of the teacher training programme, a technical university to the selection of engineering and natural sciences subjects or to the restriction of regional offerings or selected languages. Compared to other metasearch engines, this approach offers the possibility of making cross-regional, multilingual and international content available on your own website.

Due to the open design of this overall architecture as an open service and with open source components in combination with compact tutorials on the use and integration of GitHub and GitLab for the provision of OER, complete solutions can be implemented in the shortest possible time using simple means, even for smaller institutions without a large infrastructure, with minimum costs and maximum results. The overall system offers a pragmatic approach to an infrastructure for finding and publishing Open Educational Resources that is already available worldwide today.

Now that the success of this overall approach has been demonstrated in the context of Open Educational Resources, we are currently working on a possible subsequent use of the components for other areas of Open Science, e.g. to make open data or course information from university alliances from distributed sources findable in the same way and, in the case of data, to point out an easy way for sharing and collaboration.



Included in [Session 10B]: Digital Capability

References
OERSI https://oersi.org/ twillo https://www.twillo.de/ Plugin https://gitlab.com/TIBHannover/oer/wordpress-oersi-plugin Tutorials https://oersi.org/resources?search=%22github+oer+tutorial%22 Metadata Form https://oersi.gitlab.io/metadata-form/metadata-generator.html

Author Keywords
Distributed Repositories, Search Index, WordPress Integration, Tutorials, OERSI