Description:
Open education is advocated by many as a means of improving educational effectiveness, access,  and equity. However, openness in education is increasingly under threat. More platforms and tools are raising paywalls and several MOOC platforms are already experimenting with fees for access to course material, thus making the open aspect of MOOC redundant. In addition, data breaches, misinformation, and pervasive surveillance practices are now endemic on the open web. Thus, the concept of open practice also can be viewed as a means of fuelling data capitalism and eroding privacy.

In this webinar we will discuss these issues with two authorities in the field of open education.

Format: Panel debate

Alastair Creelman works as an e-learning specialist and is active in several national and international networks and projects in the field including being a member of the EDEN NAP Steering Committee.

University profile https://lnu.se/en/staff/alastair.creelman/

Blog http://acreelman.blogspot.se/

Panel members:

• Martin Weller – Professor of Educational Technology, The Open University UK

Martin Weller is Professor of Educational Technology at the Open University in the UK. He is the Director of the OER Hub, and has published extensively in the area of open educational resources, digital scholarship, e-learning and open practice.He is the author of The Battle for Open & The Digital Scholar (both published under an open access licence) and blogs at edtechie.net.

Links:
Blog: http://blog.edtechie.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mweller
Battle for Open: https://www.ubiquitypress.com/site/books/10.5334/bam/
OER Hub:http://oerhub.net/

• Catherine Cronin – Strategic Education Developer, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (Ireland)

Catherine Cronin is an open educator and open researcher whose work focuses primarily on open education, critical approaches to openness, digital identity practices, and exploring the interplay between formal and informal learning. Catherine recently completed her PhD in the area of open educational practices (OEP) in higher education. She has been involved in teaching, research and advocacy in higher education and in the community for over 25 years and is a regular contributor to conversations and collaborative projects in the area of open education, within Ireland and globally.

Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinecronin
Website: http://catherinecronin.net/
Article: Open Education, Open Questions, EDUCAUSE Review, 2017. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/10/open-education-open-questions

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