Strengthening the Open Agenda by Connecting Opens

Abstract

The case for connecting the various "opens" within higher education – open science, open education, open innovation, open infrastructure, and open to society – rests on the powerful synergy created by their integration. While each individual "open" offers distinct benefits, their convergence promises a more robust, impactful, and equitable higher education ecosystem. Ultimately, the integration of the opens represents a powerful means of reshaping the relationship between the university and society, embodying values of knowledge sharing, collaboration, and addressing societal challenges. 

The core rationale for connecting these opens lies in the greater efficacy of open inquiry and disclosure in generating reliable knowledge, accelerating validation, reducing duplication, and empowering a wider range of experts to build upon existing work, and fostering beneficial spill-overs across diverse research programs and educational initiatives.

SPARC Europe is strategically pursuing this more connected open agenda for higher education. Over the past year SPARC Europe has interviewed senior leaders at higher education institutions across Europe who are currently engaged with open science and open education. Engagement has explored:

• Vision and goals of open science and open education efforts
• Political, organizational, and cultural drivers and barriers for connecting open science and open education efforts into a larger open agenda
• The case for connecting opens
• Connecting opens strategies and plans
• Policies for open science and open education
• Recognition and reward incentives for connecting opens, and
• The role of senior management

This workshop will share our findings and engage participants in:

• Considering the similarities and differences between open education and open science (vision, goals, infrastructure, expertise)
• Diagramming existing and potential ways for connecting open education and open science (drivers, barriers, incentives, infrastructure, people, policies)
• Contribute to the design of an international hub for providing evidence-based expertise, tools, and capacity-building around connecting the opens in higher education. 

Participants will leave with a better understanding of the synergies between open science and open education. Diagrams and visualizations of connections between them will foreground insights and strategies for connecting them. Ultimately the insights shared and the resources produced will contribute to creating a hub for sharing expertise, tools and resources supporting institutions taking a connected and coordinated approach to open science and open education.