Benefits
There is nothing more essential for our future success than to invest in the quality of education. In this way, there is no doubt that education is increasingly important. Moreover, with all the advances we have experienced, it is something that should be available to everyone, even more considering that expanding educational opportunities is more possible now than it has ever been before.
In that sense, open education should be mentioned. Open education believes that everyone should have access to high-quality educational experiences and resources, eliminating all the barriers that may be in the way. In addition, open education improves the experience of both educators and learners. There are lots of benefits of this new way of learning, and these are the main ones:
It brings financial benefits for students/institutions :moneybag:
The price of textbooks has raised significantly in the last decades. College students face steep price tags that can top $200 per book, and schools use books many years out of date because they are too expensive to replace. Using Open Education Resources (OER) solves this problem because material is free online, affordable in print, and can be saved forever.
It enhances quality and flexibility of resources :books: :+1:
Open education resources can be constantly updated without cost; they can be used, reused, edited, remixed and repurposed without restrictions. Besides, people from all over the world can be contributing to the same topic or area of education. Thanks to that, teachers can compare their own teaching materials with other teachers all around the world. Imagine an American History textbook with the latest news from the run-up to the 2018 election, or a peer-to-peer exchange between Canadian students learning Mandarin with Chinese students learning English or French.
It allows a more personalised learning :ok_woman:
By using OER, students are exposed to different educational resources that are in accordance with their learning style. This can increse interest and can make students become more active by collaborating in virtual communities.
Better education means a better future :rainbow:
Education is the key to advancing society’s greatest goals, from a building a strong economy to leading healthy lives. By increasing access to education and creating a platform for more effective teaching and learning, Open Education benefits us all.
INTERESTING LINKS
Here you would be able to find some interesting videos about the importance of the quality of education: 1. Speaking to UN News, newly appointed UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai called for greater investment in girls’ education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2MzaknG9o9 1. A short animated video, by Global Citizen and TakePart World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWHdr0_9RVc
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