I hate being on the outside. I hate being left out. I hate participating in something when I feel like I lack foundational knowledge or understanding that could potentially aid me in participating in constructive dialogue – aka I hate not knowing or being unproductive (I am also extremely critical of my personal reflections of myself haha). So, I stepped away from OpenLearning19 this week – not out of anything against the cMOOC in anyway. On the contrary, I have discovered something great in it. Actually, better than great! To channel Mezirow, I have been transformed. So I needed to think, explore, collect, and then, return to connect and contribute.
So, here I am. After a few weeks to read and Google, I have some conclusions. Actually, they are not conclusions. ‘Conclusion’ entails a sense of finality and it lacks growth potential for my ideas. After a two hour walk in which I gabbed incessantly to the serenity and silence of my husband’s nodding head (he’s a wonderful man), I have positioned myself in the ongoing dialogue about ‘Open.’ Vague… I know. Bear with me.
This blog entry is what I have gathered.
As a PhD student in instructional design and technology, ‘open’ affords me a space to design, develop, and discover the benefits of ‘openness’ in enhancing learning and teaching. David Wiley (Lumen Learning) touched on a more practical approach to open. He argues that change is not going to happen simply by conducting numerous workshops. While useful and educational, the advancement and adoption of open requires hand holding and connecting. It requires breaking down barriers and unlearning assumptions that we have relied on for centuries. We are trying to transform institutions that have thrived and survived in some cases since the 15th century. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is their victory song according to Rajiv S. Jiangiani (OPEN: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science). Institutions are designed to resist new ideas (ironically) (Robert Biswas-Diener, NOBA project). So, how do we shift or disassemble this organizational survival mechanism? In the words of E. Rogers, let’s be the change agents (The Diffusion of Innovations, 2003).
I can be a change agent! The fasted path to adoption is through shared networks. I can’t tell you how many times, I try something new or adopt a new practice because my knowledgeable and trustworthy friends told me it was a great idea and would benefit me. “Well, open is a great idea and you will benefit from it!!!” (It was worth a try…) But, seriously, faculty share and adopt teaching practices etc. based on what their trusted network has told them. On the other hand, I am studying in a discipline that aids in designing or directly designs the framework for learning experiences. I am an architect with more power than I thought possible which is evident from this past week’s video interviews with Autumm Caines and Christine Moskell – both instructional designers doing very different designing and support in the open. All I have to do in my career in higher education is start by showing faculty the promises of open and new connectivist (born from constructivist principles) approaches to learning. Additionally, I am poised to start research. What does the open movement lack in some respect that is the lynchpin in academic society’s standards (which needs to change but that’s another time and blog)? Academics love their empirical research and evidence, so I will be looking into that soon (I’ll keep you updated… promise.)
Also, I channel a bit of Robin DeRosa, who is doing incomparable work at Plymouth University and is a open education bad%$& – I hope I am aloud to say that!? I would not call her radical but to other academics still testing the waters, she is doing some radical things in the realm of open! From class created textbooks to a crowdsourced syllabus. She emphasizes the value of open pedagogy, open faculty development and policy whereby we support and enhance the higher ed system as it changes and transforms in the coming years – and mark my words, it is going to change whether it likes it or not. I am determined to get on board and help in the best way I know how – through my education.
To wrap things up, my life took a disruptive shift a few years back. I was working in insurance wondering how I ended up attached to my ball and chain. It was actually an Avaya call center headset and no, I was not selling you credit card insurance! I was in a cubicle hating everything I was doing. When, all of a sudden, I received notification that my yearly training modules were due (cue giant eye roll). I opened them, completed them, determined that they sucked, and always do. Then, I decided that I had nothing to lose. So, I went to inform my supervisor about the less that adequate quality of training provided (Corporate speak for “suck”). She looked at me and said, “You know what? I agree. But I can’t change it. You can though. Here’s the link for employee funding to return to school in Adult Education to be an instructional designer. You should do it and then apply for an internal job in training and development.” Three years later, I completed the BA part-time while hating my job a little less. I didn’t apply for an internal job. Instead, I left the company because I wanted more. I fell in love with my ability as an instructional designer to not teach or learn but assist in developing teaching and learning – to change how knowledge is delivered in an empowering way. And, so here I am!
Rebecca Clark 