Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Open education'

Openness is one of the most influential drivers of change in education and training today, especially for educational organizations both in adult learning as well as in higher education. Open educational resources (ОER) as a manifestation of the principle of openness is gradually becoming an integral part of the educational environment in higher education. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/29422

L'acumulació de capital humà i l'avenç tecnològic són uns dels principals motors del creixement econòmic. L'acumulació de capital humà genera creixement directament, ja que és un factor productiu. També contribueix a augmentar el progrés tecnològic i, per tant, augmentar la productivitat total dels factors, implicant una producció més eficient i un major creixement econòmic. A part de l'educació, el learning-by-doing (aprendre mitjançant la pràctica) també contribueix a l'acumulació de capital humà. De fet, l'aparició recent de la innovació oberta ha facilitat la difusió del coneixement i, per tant, ha promogut l'acumulació de capital humà. Aquesta tesi pretén analitzar com les polítiques públiques d'educació afecten l'acumulació de capital humà i com l'aparició dels béns oberts i la innovació oberta afecten a la competència en I+D i, per tant, al creixement econòmic. Al capítol 2, analitzem com, quan les persones s'han d'autofinançar la seva educació, les polítiques públiques (un fons públic de préstecs i la deduïbilitat diferida de les despeses d'educació) afecten al creixement en una economia de generacions successives on hi ha restriccions d'endeutament per a les persones. Mostrem que els préstecs públics afecten positivament al creixement de l'economia quan no hi ha restriccions d'endeutament, mentre que la deduïbilitat fiscal afecta al creixement depenent de la magnitud dels préstecs públics i de la deduïbilitat fiscal. Quan les persones tenen restriccions d'endeutament, els préstecs públics afecten positivament al creixement mentre que la deduïbilitat fiscal no afecta al creixement. Ambdues polítiques governamentals afecten a l’operativitat de la restricció d'endeutament i, per tant, poden canviar l'economia de no tenir restricció d'endeutament a sí tenir-ne, o viceversa. Al capítol 3, estudiem com els béns oberts afecten a l'economia a llarg termini. Modelitzem una economia amb béns oberts i privats on els individus han de destinar el seu temps a l'adquisició de capital humà, treballar al sector dels béns privats i desenvolupar béns oberts. Incorporem les característiques dels béns oberts al problema de maximització de l'individu i examinem com afecta al creixement econòmic la quantitat de temps que dediquen les persones a desenvolupar béns oberts en lloc de treballar al sector de béns privats o acumular capital humà. També examinem el problema del planificador social i la seva diferència amb l'assignació de mercat. El capítol 4 té com a objectiu estudiar com els diferents tipus d'activitats d'I+D (codi obert, imitació i I+D convencional) afecten a la innovació i, per tant, a l'economia a llarg termini. Modelitzem una economia amb béns estandarditzats i béns amb diferents nivells de qualitat on les persones tenen preferències no homotètiques i assignen el seu pressupost entre els béns estandarditzats i els béns amb diferents nivells de qualitat. Suposem un continu d'indústries amb un duopoli a cada indústria. Tant els líders de la indústria com els seguidors inverteixen en I+D. Els líders tecnològics inverteixen en I+D per obtenir més beneficis provinents de tenir més qualitat i per reduir el risc de ser copiats o superats pels seguidors o els nous entrants. Els seguidors inverteixen en I+D per aconseguir igualar la qualitat dels líders o per assolir el lideratge tecnològic. Incorporem les característiques de l'I+D convencional, la còpia i la innovació oberta en els problemes de maximització de les empreses que produeixen diferents nivells de qualitat i examinem com la innovació oberta afecta a les inversions en I+D de les empreses amb diferents nivells de qualitat i els seus efectes sobre el creixement econòmic.
La acumulación de capital humano y el avance tecnológico son importantes motores del crecimiento económico. La acumulación de capital humano puede generar directamente crecimiento al ser un factor productivo. A su vez, también puede contribuir a elevar el progreso tecnológico, mejorar la productividad total de los factores y, por lo tanto, permitir una producción más eficiente y así generar crecimiento económico. Aparte de la educación, el learning-by-doing (aprendizaje mediante la práctica) es otro factor importante en la acumulación de capital humano. De hecho, la reciente aparición de la innovación abierta ha facilitado el aumento de los intercambios de conocimiento y, por tanto, ha promovido la acumulación de capital humano. Junto con en análisis de cómo las políticas públicas educativas afectan la acumulación de capital humano, esta tesis tiene como objetivo estudiar cómo el surgimiento de bienes abiertos y la innovación abierta afectan la competencia en I+D y, por ende, el crecimiento económico. En el capítulo 2, analizamos cómo, cuando las personas se han de financiar la educación, las políticas públicas (un fondo público para préstamos y la deducción diferida de los gastos de educación) afectan el crecimiento en una economía de generaciones solapadas donde los individuos pueden tener restricciones de endeudamiento a la hora de decidir su inversión en capital humano. Mostramos que los préstamos públicos afectan positivamente al crecimiento económico cuando no hay restricciones de endeudamiento, mientras que la forma en que la desgravación fiscal afecta al crecimiento depende de la magnitud tanto de los préstamos públicos como de la desgravación fiscal. En una economía con restricciones de endeudamiento, los préstamos públicos afectan positivamente al crecimiento, mientras que la deducción de impuestos no afecta al crecimiento. Ambas políticas gubernamentales afectan a la operatividad de la restricción de endeudamiento y, por lo tanto, pueden hacer que la economía pase de estar bajo una restricción de endeudamiento a una que no, o viceversa. En el capítulo 3, estudiamos cómo los bienes abiertos afectan a la economía a largo plazo. Modelizamos una economía con bienes abiertos y privados donde los individuos deben dedicar su tiempo a la adquisición de capital humano, trabajar en el sector de bienes privados y desarrollar bienes abiertos. Examinamos cómo la cantidad de tiempo que las personas dedican a desarrollar bienes abiertos en lugar de trabajar en el sector de bienes privados o acumular capital humano afecta al crecimiento económico. También examinamos el problema del planificador social y su diferencia con la asignación del mercado. El capítulo 4 tiene como objetivo estudiar cómo los diferentes tipos de actividades de I+D (código abierto, imitación y I+D convencional) afectan a la innovación y la economía a largo plazo. Modelizamos una economía con bienes estandarizados y bienes con niveles de calidad diferente, donde las personas con preferencias no homotéticas tienen que destinar su presupuesto a bienes estandarizados y bienes con niveles de calidad diferente. Suponemos un continuo de industrias con un duopolio en cada industria. Los líderes tecnológicos invierten en I+D para obtener un mayor beneficio al vender productos de mayor calidad y, a la vez, para reducir el riesgo de ser copiados o superados por seguidores o nuevos participantes. Los seguidores invierten en I+D para alcanzar a los líderes o para obtener el liderazgo tecnológico. Incorporamos a las características del I+D convencional, la copia y la innovación abierta en los problemas de maximización de las empresas, donde suponemos que venden varios tipos de calidad a la vez. Nuestro objetivo es examinar cómo la innovación abierta afecta a las inversiones en I+D y, por ende, sus efectos sobre el crecimiento económico.
Human capital accumulation and technology advance are among the main engines of economic growth. Human capital accumulation can directly generate growth as it is a productive factor. It can also contribute to raising technical progress and technological progress, in turn, improves the total factor of productivity and hence allows for more efficient production and brings out economic growth. Apart from education, learning by doing also contributes to the accumulation of human capital. In fact, the recent emergence of open innovation has facilitated the increased flows of knowledge and, therefore, promoted the accumulation of human capital. Together with analyzing how public policies for education affect the accumulation of human capital, this thesis aims at studying how the emergence of open goods and open innovation affect R&D competition and, then, economic growth. In chapter 2, we analyze how public policies for self-financing education, public fund for loans and deferred deductibility of education expenses, affect growth in an overlapping generations economy where individuals can be borrowing-constrained on human capital investment. We show that public loans positively affect growth in the unconstrained economy, while how tax deductibility affects growth depends on the magnitude of both public loans and tax deductibility. In the borrowing-constrained economy, public loans positively affect growth, while tax deductibility does not affect growth. Both government policies affect the borrowing-constraint tightness and, therefore, can shift the economy from being borrowing-constrained to unconstrained or vice versa. In chapter 3, we study how open goods affect the economy in the long run. We model an economy with open and private goods where individuals have to allocate their time for human capital acquisition, working in the private goods sector and developing open goods. We incorporate the characteristics of open goods in the maximization problems and examine how the amount of time that individuals devote for developing open goods instead of working in the private goods sector or accumulating human capital affects economic growth. We also examine the social planner problem and its difference with the market allocation. Chapter 4 aims at studying how different types of R&D activities---open source, imitation and conventional R&D---affect innovation competition and, then, the economy in the long run. We model an economy with standardized goods and quality goods where individuals with non-homothetic preference have to allocate their budget for standardized goods and quality goods. There is a continuum of industries with duopoly production in each industry. Both industry leaders and followers invest in R&D. Technological leaders invest in R&D for higher profit of higher quality products and to reduce the risk of being copied or surpassed by followers or new entrants. Followers invests in R&D to catch up with the leaders or to gain the technological leadership. We incorporate the characteristics of conventional R&D, copying and open innovation in the maximization problems of multi-quality firms and aim at examining how open innovation affects R&D investments of firms with different technology levels and then its effects on economic growth.

Leveraging technology may be a viable solution in the higher education industry as enrollments decline and institutions have a hard time meeting their projected budgets. One innovative approach to mitigating this problem was approved in March of 2013 by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY). It is called Open SUNY. Open SUNY consists of nine components: the creation and expansion of online programs to meet workforce development needs, the development of online credit-bearing experiential learning experiences, support for training of faculty who opt to use emerging technologies, support for student access to online courses, the availability of prior learning assessment system-wide, the development of a research initiative to identify best practices and offer professional development, exploration of open education resources to bring down costs for students, support for expansion of online program development, and the creation and promotion of learning commons to facilitate communication and house content. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to observe the rollout of Open SUNY from the fall of 2014 through spring of 2015 in order to describe the experience of stakeholders at SUNY’s various campuses. To triangulate the data, multiple sources were used to observe the phenomenon such as interviews, documents and surveys. Purposeful sampling allowed for all institution types and geographic areas to be included in the population sample. Data were coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Three themes that arose from the data interpretation were: inclusiveness, systemness, and openness. An organizational structure model was used as a framework for making recommendations based on the research conclusions.

In his book Learning to Teach in South Africa Morrow (2007)1 argues that teacher education’s ultimate aim is to enable epistemological access2 to knowledge in the modern world, and that there is a need to find new ways of thinking about teaching in South Africa if we are to meet the challenge of enabling all learners to gain such epistemological access. Morrow relates problems of epistemological access to the dominance of an empiricist epistemology in education, and he also comments on how this is obscured by the ideologies of Outcomes Based Education and learner-centred education (with attendant constructivist, relativist assumptions about knowledge). These problems, he argues, have come to shape curriculum thinking, and hence teaching practice, creating a muddled epistemological context in which teaching practices are taking place. He argues for a realist focus but he does not elaborate on what such a realist focus might mean for enabling epistemological access or for associated teaching practice or for teacher education. He does, however, propose that systematic learning is a necessary way forward.

This article describes the insights from the analysis of the comparative evaluation of open learning methods in organizational education and will be of most interest to researchers and practitioners with non-university background. The approaches considered focus on the selection of solutions based on the methods, which can be individually adapted in the future and applied, for example, by using artificial intelligence technologies to achieve organizational goals without direct human intervention. In this paper we describe the evaluation methods of the learning forms based on the principles of andragogy and consider the software specifics of investigated methods. The obtained conclusions show that the open source course, online learning communities, training with virtual reality and artificial intelligence can be successfully implemented separately and in combination according to the purposes of organizational development. However, learning with artificial intelligence has also a great potential due to the extensive knowledge base and diverse ways of knowledge mediation.

This paper investigates the origins of the Open Education movement in the United States and traces its development throughout the twentieth century. Pioneers of the movement are discussed, with an extensive description of John Dewey's work provided. Political and social forces which affected Open Education throughout the century are described. Finally, current trends in education are examined to determine whether Open Education remains in practice. Conclusions and implications for classroom practice are included.

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify and describe the perceptions of open educational resources (OER) higher education experts regarding the activities needed at colleges and universities in the United States in order to advance faculty adoption of OER over the next 10 years. Also, this study examined those activities that were most important and had the greatest likelihood of being implemented.

Methodology: The researcher utilized a mixed-methods Delphi study technique to identify and describe activities to advance faculty adoption of OER. The target population for the study consisted of a group of OER higher education faculty experts from postsecondary institutions within the United States. This study utilized a purposive criterion sampling method to identify 16 experts. The Delphi method employed questionnaires over 3 successive rounds to gather data from and build consensus among the expert panel. In Round 1, the researcher asked the expert panel for activities to support faculty adoption of OER. In Round 2, the expert panel rated the 35 activities for degree of importance and likelihood of implementation. In Round 3, the panel had an opportunity to revise their score, if desired, in order to move toward consensus.

Findings: Analysis of the quantitative data from the study revealed 17 OER activities that received consensus for importance and 11 OER activities that indicated consensus concerning likelihood for implementation. Finally, there were 6 OER research findings on which the expert panel came to consensus concerning equally importance and likelihood of implementation.

Conclusions: Based on the data and research findings, 6 conclusions were drawn related to faculty adoption of OER within colleges and universities over the next decade.

Recommendations: There were 8 recommendations for further research covering these topic areas: (a) replication of the study within different higher education arenas and across other stakeholder groups; and (b) examination of faculty receptivity and resistance to adopting OER, utilizing a change theoretical framework; (c) a model for open pedagogy; and (d) an examination of K-12 educators’ OER adoption practices.

Neben der Strukturierung der Informationsflut durch entsprechende Strategien, bedarf es einer Anpassung der Wissensaneignungsprozesse. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) als offene Lehr-Lern-Arrangements haben das Potenzial, diesen Entwicklungen Rechnung zu tragen und die Bildungskultur der nächsten Jahre zu beeinflussen. So stehen Hochschulen vor der Herausforderung, Studierende auf zukünftige Berufswelten vorzubereiten und Handlungskompetenzen zu fördern. Dadurch ist nicht mehr nur die Vermittlung von fachlichem Wissen relevant, sondern auch die Entwicklung von Sozial-, Selbst- und Methodenkompetenzen. Insbesondere die Förderung des selbstgesteuerten Lernens, das die Basis der offenen Kurskonzeption von MOOCs darstellt, ist ebenfalls eine wichtige Grundlage dafür, sich lebenslang selbstständig weiterbilden zu können. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde der Saxon Open Online Course (SOOC) konzipiert.

La meva contribució gira entorn de com els mètodes d'aprenentatge basats en el disseny (disseny obert i disseny etnogràfic, particularment) poden fomentar una mentalitat educativa interactiva que expandeixi el context d'aprenentatge acadèmic fora de l'escola. Aquesta recerca és doble: en primer lloc, el meu objectiu és contribuir a la innovació educativa en el camp de les arts creatives a través de mètodes d'aprenentatge basats en el disseny; en segon lloc, exploro les possibilitats que el disseny obert i l'etnografia del disseny poden aportar a l'educació formal en el camp de l'educació artística creativa en introduir la perspectiva somàtica com una perspectiva interdisciplinària. Proposo explorar com es poden implementar els conceptes de disseny obert en un continu que abasti l'educació formal i la no formal. Finalment, el disseny obert com a plataforma per al coaprenentatge, en cocrear i compartir, contribueix a un canvi innovador per desenvolupar pedagogies d'ensenyament-aprenentatge que obrin el marc educatiu formal a l'espai públic com a comportament performatiu incorporat per al benestar de tothom.
Mi contribución gira en torno a cómo los métodos de aprendizaje basados en el diseño (diseño abierto y diseño etnográfico, en particular) pueden fomentar una mentalidad educativa interactiva que expanda el contexto de aprendizaje académico fuera de la escuela. Esta investigación es doble: en primer lugar, mi objetivo es contribuir a la innovación educativa en el campo de las artes creativas a través de métodos de aprendizaje basados en el diseño; en segundo lugar, exploro las posibilidades que el diseño abierto y la etnografía del diseño pueden aportar a la educación formal en el campo de la educación artística creativa al introducir la perspectiva somática como una perspectiva interdisciplinaria. Propongo explorar cómo pueden implementarse los conceptos de diseño abierto en un continuo que abarque la educación formal y la no formal. Finalmente, el diseño abierto como plataforma para el coaprendizaje, al cocrear y compartir, contribuye a un cambio innovador para desarrollar pedagogías de enseñanza-aprendizaje que abran el marco educativo formal al espacio público como comportamiento performativo incorporado para el bienestar de todos.
This work studies how design-based learning methods (open design and ethnographic design in particular) can foster an interactive educational mindset that expands the context of academic learning beyond the classroom. The aim of the research is twofold: first, to contribute to educational innovation in the field of creative arts through design-based learning methods; second, to explore the possibilities that open design and design ethnography can bring to formal education in the field of creative arts education by introducing an interdisciplinary perspective, namely the somatic. The goal is to explore how open design concepts can be implemented in a continuum that spans formal and non-formal education. Open design as a platform for co-learning based on co-creating and sharing contributes to an innovative shift in the development of teaching-learning pedagogies, where the formal educational framework is opened to the public space as a performative behaviour adopted for the well-being of all.

This study focused on the potential contribution of xMOOCs, OER units and different stakeholders to opening up higher education. The main research questions were: “Which MOOCs can potentially be adapted for use in opening up Rwandan higher education?” (1) “Which OER units can potentially be adapted for use in opening up Rwandan higher education?” (2) and “What is the potential contribution of different stakeholders in Rwandan higher education to opening up this level of education?” (3). The study had a transformative mixed method design and consisted of two major components: The Research component and the Parallel development component. Research was conducted on ten xMOOCs, ten OER units, 105 learners, 85 academics, one institutional leader and four policy documents. Results showed that two xMOOCs and one OER unit can be adapted for direct use in opening up higher education in Rwanda if open educational services and enabling policies are available. Learners were willing to engage in different self-determined open learning practices and academics were willing to contribute to opening up education in different ways. No evidence of institutional leaders/policy makers‘ intention to recognise academics‘ engagement in open educational practices and support assessment of accomplishment from open learning for credit could be identified. The main contributions of the study to knowledge include a framework for collaborative investment in opening up education; an in-depth understanding of non-rivalrous resources that may be used in opening up education; a deeper understanding of the concept of heutagogy and proof of its transformative outcomes and a comprehensive evaluation of xMOOCs and OER units and how they may contribute to opening up education. Conclusions may be beneficial to transformative researchers, learners, academics and institutions interested in opening up education.

This thesis is a case-study of Quality Assurance (QA) practice and policy discourses for Flexible Open Distance Education/Learning (FODE/L) in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Higher Education (HE) sector. From a global to local sensemaking perspective, analysis was applied to QA for FODE/L in PNG Universities. The main argument is that PNG FODE/L has the potential to bloom providing QA is supported as an inclusive organisational culture. PNG FODE/L currently exists within a fragmented, broken and unstable QA system. The study utilised a qualitative research design approach using multiple data collection methods. Four primary data sources were used: first, semi- structured individual interviews with selected leaders of PNG universities; second, focus group interviews with FODE/L practitioners; third, open-ended questionnaires administered to students and finally, documentary evidence – FODE/L QA policy documents collected for analysis. Qualitative data analysis involved an exploratory approach for thematic coding through an interpretive process. Findings highlight existing QA grey areas. First, inclusive QA practice for FODE/L is yet to be established and sustained within QA cultures and frameworks at meso (national) and micro (institutional/individual) levels of practice. Second, meagre QA policies exist at national and institutional levels. Third, QA leadership and management lack visionary leadership for an innovative, sustainable ethical and positive FODE/L for a harmonised PNG HE sector. Given the findings, this study identifies opportunities for a sustaining QA culture and proposes a QA framework based on ethics, integrity and moral standards, called The Ethics Enterprise QA Model for PNG FODE/L. This proposed model might shape and improve the current PNG FODE/L system, hence providing research data for relevant planners and policy makers of PNG HE. Significant to research, this study fills a gap in PNG FODE/L literature. Whilst PNG FODE/L blooms, informed practice and policy through research remains vital for HE.

Despite the existence of many successful initiatives to promote the sharing and use of Open Educational Resources (OER), sharing and use of OER is not a widely accepted practice in higher education. The reasons for lecturers' choices on whether or not to contribute OER are poorly understood. This thesis develops a theoretically-based explanation of both why lecturers contribute and why they do not. The thesis addresses the question: How do the relations between culture, structure and agency influence lecturers' contribution and non-contribution of OER in a higher education institution? A mixed methods approach was used to gather quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) data. Fourteen lecturers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) were interviewed (two from each of its seven faculties), seven who had contributed OER and seven who had not. The analysis adopted an Activity Theory framework to highlight the enablers and barriers to contribution present in the institutional system. The Social Realism of Margaret Archer (1995, 2003, 2007a, 2012) was used to explore the power of academics' agency and their internal conversations arising from their personal concerns in deciding on their courses of action. This study illustrates how capturing lecturers' internal conversations and analysing how they think about their social contexts is valuable not only in the context of OER but also as a way of understanding their role as social actors more generally. Analysing the relations between culture, structure and agency in institutions explains why some institutions are slow to change and/or prefer to maintain current practices. At UCT, where institutional culture allows academic freedom of choice and structure supports that choice, it is the academic agents themselves who hold the power of action to contribute or not to contribute OER. Academics have the power to change their practice if it makes sense in terms of their projects, the activities that they are involved in and their concerns. Thus in this context, the long term sustainability of the OER movement rests firmly on the willingness of individual lecturers to share and use OER. By understanding the institutional context in which the individual is placed, OER can be encouraged appropriately

This thesis investigates the role of open educational resources (OER) in primary education in developing countries. It retrieves lessons from an in-depth case study analysis of three OER-providing organizations, which have been catering to the literacy and primary education needs of children in India and South Africa. The findings indicate that OERs specific to the development of primary school-aged children can overcome several issues such as poor literacy, pedagogy, equity and access as well as help OER providers remain sustainable.

Open Educational Resources (OER) provide openly licensed alternatives to commercial instructional materials. Proponents of K-12 OER suggest that their benefits include cost savings, increased access, improved quality, and increased teacher professionalism or empowerment. While the small body of K-12 OER research is growing, perceived benefits of K-12 OER usage have not yet been proven. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand whether certain potential benefits were being realized by a group of secondary teachers using open science textbooks. In surveys and interviews, teachers were asked to describe their classroom practice before and after adopting an open textbook, including practices relating to openness. Teachers were also asked to rate the quality of open textbooks they were using in contrast to textbooks used previously. Most participants reported changes to practice, and the most commonly cited changes could be attributed to a combination of openness and online format. For example, participants described linking textbook content to other online resources. In comparisons of current to previous practice, however, teachers did not report increases in the open practices of collaboration, revising, or adapting.

Using a sociological approach, this study examines China’s reform of open educational resources (OER), which has prompted significant changes to the nation’s higher education sector. Through an analysis of the policy processes that have driven the reform, this study demonstrates that the reform has involved and brought significant changes to its participants as resource administrators, providers, and receivers. By using governmentality as a poststructuralist analytical framework, this study shows the particular ways in which the reform process has been governed and the ways in which the governing practices have changed the conduct of higher education. The study reveals the power relations exercised through the reform and offers a critique of China’s higher education sector.

An online learning phenomenon emanated 2½ years ago from three courses taught at Stanford University, promising an opportunity for high-quality instruction from elite institutions and professors for no cost to the student. This phenomenon, which came to be known as the MOOC, catalyzed sweeping changes in both higher education’s relationship with distance education, as well as the discussion of higher education in society, in a remarkably short period of time.

While people have questioned the effectiveness of MOOC learning and the potential negative consequences of adopting MOOC systems either in support of or to replace existing educational infrastructure, the MOOC movement has continued to grow at a rapid pace. This research study sought to define the characteristics of the MOOC on the terms of learning theory, pedagogy, history, society and policy through the use of an expert-based Delphi study, where participants engaged in a phenomenological dialogue about what constitutes a MOOC in practice, the present state of higher education in the wake of the MOOC movement, the effect the phenomenon has had on education both structurally as well as socially, and visions of the future of the institution of higher education as affected by the MOOC.

In summary, panelists focused their agreement on cognitive and pragmatic aspects of the MOOC debate, such as a hope for learning analytics to offer solutions to educational problems as well as the opportunity for the MOOC system to offer tier-based education services to consumers. The Delphi discussion showcased the importance of cognitive theory in MOOC design as well as the relationship between MOOCs and economics, and highlighted the difficulty education experts have in agreeing on how to define educational terminology.

In the field of robotics, quadrupedal robotics is a rapidly growing segment. Despite the large number of robotic quadrupeds developed so far, there is currently no platform specifically developed for use in an educational setting. Currently available quadrupeds have several aspects that restrict them to use only in the research labs that developed them, preventing them from being available for use in undergraduate-level classes. This constraint limits the number of people able to gain experience with these highly complex platforms. To enable further development into the field of quadruped robotics, more engineers with in-depth experience with these platforms and the knowledge required to develop and operate them are needed. In this thesis we present the SmallKat platform which strives to fill this space and allow for further development into the fields of dynamic quadruped robotics without the fear of damaging an expensive robot. This thesis proposes a robot designed specifically for the purpose of teaching multiple robotics concepts including kinematics, control, dynamics, trajectory planning, and gait generation. Like many other quadrupedal robots, SmallKat uses 3-DoF legs allowing for coordinated motion in all 3 axes. The size, modularity, cost, and capabilities of the platform are what suit it to teach at a variety of levels. With the integrated sensing and safety features, this platform lends itself to the development of an undergraduate robotics course on quadruped robots, a sample of which is discussed in this thesis. Through the distribution of the SmallKat robot to more schools and universities, the robotics curriculum offered by these universities could be expanded further to offer courses at the undergraduate level in legged robotics.

The purpose of this research study is to analyze the impact that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have had on institutions of higher learning and explore successful strategies implemented by educational leaders in meeting the challenges of these new learning platforms. As online learning has exploded in recent years—with MOOCs representing the latest evolution of that process—traditional educational methods at brick and mortar colleges and universities have been challenged by the scope and reach of virtual scholarship. With this rapid development of online learning, and MOOCs specifically, educators must learn to adapt and embrace these new cyber-driven educational venues to stay relevant in today’s ever-changing, global learning environment. The insights garnered from this research project can shed light on actions taken by higher education leaders who have addressed the recent massive, evolving shift to virtual learning while still managing to retain the essence of the traditional college experience at their campuses. It is the researcher’s hope that the findings of this study will empower college educators to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of MOOCs on higher learning institutions, and to help them strategize ways to successfully incorporate these virtual learning venues into traditional educational programs at their schools.

This qualitative, phenomenological research study encompasses the lived experiences of 12 higher education leaders who have had involvement with Massive Open Online Courses at their learning institutions as articulated through data collected from 12 semi-structured Interview Questions, framed by 4 overarching Research Questions. The findings of the research project have significant implications for individuals planning to implement and develop Massive Open Online Courses at their learning institutions.

Rapid reform in the vocational education and training sector within Australia has driven the need for a more flexible approach to the delivery of education and training. One facet of such flexibility is Open Learning. Currently there is little research on Open Learning within the training sector on which planning decisions can be based.A model of educational productivity (Walberg,1981) has been proposed in the research literature to investigate relationships between key factors such a student antecedents, learning environments and learning outcomes. The Walberg model has been employed in this current study to explore how these factors may be studied in an Open Learning environment and a more Traditional Learning environment within the vocational education and training sector. The research design is a comparative description, utilising techniques from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms.A major aspect of this current study has been to investigate the constructs proposed by Walberg's Productivity Model and source appropriate instruments to measure these constructs. Where the appropriate instruments were not available, a process of instrument development and validation was conducted.The research has identified Walberg's model as being a valid frame of reference within the Vocational Education and Training sector. As expected, significant differences between the Open Learning environment and the Traditional Learning environment were apparent for the measures of Classroom Environment. Of interest, however, was that the productivity factor of Quantity, for students studying in both learning environments, was shown to have a negative relationship with achievement. While small differences were apparent for other factors, generally, the relationship between productivity factors and educational achievement was seen to be similar for both the Open Learning and the Traditional Learning environments.The findings of the study should be of significance to a range of people involved in the Open Learning environment, including decision makers in the areas of educational policy, curriculum design and implementation, administration and teaching.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth examination of special education services in open-enrollment charter schools in north Texas and to examine relationships between special education compliance and funding. Six questions guided the research: How have the charter schools designed special education services, and do these services meet individual needs of students with disabilities? Have federal education and disability laws affected charter schools' admissions, operations, or student performance ratings? What were the levels of special education funding and compliance with federal and state regulations? Is there a relationship between special education funding and special education compliance with rules and regulations? Studies at the national and state levels have frequently been conducted in the form of surveys, and provide only preliminary information about the status of special education in charter schools. There is a paucity of case specific information about the management and delivery of special education services in open-enrollment charter schools. A within-case study research design was used for this investigation utilizing qualitative methods of structured open-ended interviews, observations at the schools, and document analysis. Administrators at four open-enrollment charter schools were interviewed to gather data for this multi-case study. The data supported the hypotheses related to special education services in open-enrollment charter schools. The schools in this study provided special education services with an inclusion model for the first two years. In their first years of operation, charter schools face challenges of small budgets, few if any special education students, and difficulty finding special education teachers and other staff. In the third year and beyond, the schools were able to add special education services and staff and were more stable in terms of budget and operations. For the time period analyzed, special education costs exceeded special education funding. Compliance with special education regulations was relatively high as services were provided to students with mild disabilities with a high commitment to individualized instruction.

The purpose of this collective case study was to explore digital badging in educational institutions as support for K-12 practitioners struggling to integrate technology into pedagogical practices. The researcher conducted a mixed-method study that captured perceptions about digital badges and follow-up interviews with selected badge users to explore their viewpoints further. The goal was to generate a detailed case description, identify participants’ self-assessment of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and define those attributes that are deemed important or not useful to Open Badge Course earners that participated in the study.

Ten individuals from a Northern California region completed the survey and four participated in an interview process. Results from the survey found that participants highly valued the convenience, accessibility, and ability to self-pace afforded by the course. They valued being able to set their own learning goals and to begin and work at their own level of expertise. The game-like features and personal achievement were motivating factors to earn and complete badges. The course experience allowed time for cumulative study to learn and implement technology into teaching. The course experience supported their understanding of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK).

The interviews provided detailed information regarding perceptions and experience with the Open Badge Course. Six themes emerged from thematic analysis of the interview data: affordances of course content and course design, recommendations to sustain and improve the course, challenges of course content and course design, ways experience impacted/changed teaching, motivation for learning, and ways experience impacted/changed learning. Participant responses indicated that modifications were necessary for the course to be effective. The areas of challenge included: a lack of timely assessment of learning, constraints from rigor and management of badge levels, lack of relevant or meaningful badges related to the grade level taught, and difficulties with mechanical/operational procedures to access and complete required activities.

Facing obstacles are not unique to digital badge project developers. The challenges identified in this collective case study provide valuable information for developers in redesigning future iterations of digital badge systems. Recommendations include how development of similar systems for informal professional learning within formal institutions of learning can be effective.

Providing professional development to in-service teachers remains a high priority when attempting to meet state and federal school accountability requirements, yet principals may neglect teacher motivation and the teacher change process when facilitating teacher learning. Drawing on self-determination theory, this research examined social and environmental factors shaping teacher motivation in the context of lesson study with open approach. This descriptive case study included the perceptions of eight secondary mathematics teachers who engaged lesson study as a form of professional development. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews suggested the following contextual factors improve motivation: emerging proficiency, synergy, interpersonal dynamics, volition, and internalization. Additionally, apprehension, minor barriers, and contentious interpersonal dynamics may reduce intrinsic-like motivation. As teachers encountered supportive contextual factors, they satisfied their need to experience competence, relatedness, and autonomy which encouraged value internalization of new learning manifesting as an epistemological shift in teaching paradigm. By internalizing the value of new learning, teachers may become more likely to authentically enact new pedagogy in their classrooms. The results of this study indicated lesson study with open approach may provide a robust form of learning capable of changing prior instructional beliefs. These findings suggest principals create and maintain contextual factors (with deliberate intent) that promote intrinsic-like motivation and the teacher change process to enhance the healthy development of teacher learning.

This thesis investigates the experience of adults undertaking Open Studies courses organised through Warwick University's Continuing Education Department. It focuses on a cohort of 13 students undertaking two-year certificated courses in Labour Studies, Women's Studies and Counselling. This longtitudinal period was chosen because it was felt it would allow enough time for the courses to make an impact on the students. To set this against a broader context, other Open Studies students not taking certificated courses were also interviewed. This included a group of five adults who started their own self-help Psychology group after being inspired by an Open Studies course. The aim was to measure the impact of the courses on the students' sense of identity, since it was felt that there was potential for the learning on the courses to change students perceptions of themselves; in Mezirow's terms, they would experience 'perspective transformation'. This was felt to be an important effect, since it implies the continuing potential for cognitive development, and thus learning, in adults - a contentious issue - and also the ongoing concern with identity, as adults continue to 're-make' themselves in the face of their experience in an ever-changing world. In order to reflect actual student experience, a qualitative approach is taken, relying heavily on in-depth interviews with the students. Although the research draws on the established adult education literature, it breaks new ground in its use ofRossan's model of identity to investigate adult experience in Open Studies (an under-researched area) and the implications of this for perception of adult potential generally, which until recent years has been largely negative. While the results are not as clear-cut as a 'hard' scientific project might generate, there is evidence that the courses did have an impact on adult identity, and that this project has introduced a fruitful area for future research.

This thesis addresses the need to clarify the meaning of the open learning concept. It does so from a curriculum perspective and with a particular focus on curriculum control. The reason for this is that open learning is said to involve control of curriculum by learners. The study draws on curriculum theory to identify three alternative conceptions of curriculum which are used as alternative ways of considering open learning. Thus,open learning is examined as an element of social theory, as an intended curriculum and as a perceived student learning experience. The analysis is facilitated by the development of a suite of analytical tools, comprising curriculum code theory and the concepts of frame and decision-making space. Students are considered as curriculum decision-makers in order to investigate their latitude for curriculum control from their own perspective. By comparing the three conceptions of open learning listed above as they apply to a particular case of open learning provision, by analysing that case in terms of the suite of analytical tools and by considering the relevant historical and socio-cultural context, a new theory of open learning is generated. In the first instance, the three curriculum conceptions of open learning are applied to the Australian Open Learning Initiative. The methodology is based on a research philosophy of realist-coherentism. Theory on open learning, which is generic and inclusive of a wide range of views, is analysed and reviewed. Three major categories of theory on open learning (descriptive, prescriptive and explanatory) are considered. The intended curriculum of the Initiative is then detailed primarily from documentary evidence with support from key informant interviews. Students' curriculum experiences are studied by means of a series of telephone interviews with a targeted sample of 44 students registered for units of study with Open Learning Australia (the Open Learning Agency of Australia) in the first study period of 1993. Comparing theory on open learning with the evidence of the intended curriculum and student experience indicates that a technocratic approach to opening access, rather than learner control of curriculum, is the central feature of this case. Learner-centred features of the curriculum and learner control are not primary aims but rather the byproducts of increasing participation primarily through flexibility in the location and timing of study and an open entry policy. Students are seen to be essentially curriculum-takers with curriculum structures acting as strong frames on their decision-making. In relation to its context, the Initiative is seen as a pragmatic response to economic and political pressures to expand participation in higher education and to have implications for centralising control of higher education. It is proposed that open learning is understandable as a manifestation of educational democratisation. Rather than being a novel post-Fordist or neo-Fordist form of education, it is argued that open learning is a continuation of longer term, progressive educational trends. Open learning is distinctive from earlier progressive educational movements in its adult focus and use of communications technologies. It is suggested that, in the post-industrial era, pressures associated with the attainment of mass higher education are inducing reforms at that level similar to reforms previously enacted in primary and secondary education as these reached mass levels of provision. Evidence for this interpretation extends beyond the Australian case and includes parallels between open learning and the reforms characteristic of democratisation as well as historical data on the expansion of opportunities for adult education. In terms of curriculum code theory, open learning is seen as an expression of the rational curriculum code. This suggests an amendment to curriculum code theory to acknowledge a lag in the implementation of certain codes at post-secondary level in comparison with schooling. If the patterns previously observed in school education continue to be followed, state intervention is likely to involve further technocratic and internalised controls at this level. The new theory implies that a systems wide, rather than a piecemeal, approach to the development of national systems of open learning is needed. In Australia, this means fully integrating the Initiative within the Unified National System of Higher Education and making its funding base and systems of student support more equitable with conventional provision. The study identifies the learners' context as a significant but previously unacknowledged constraint on students' decision-making and learner control of curriculum. It notes that transfer of control over entering a program of study is not automatically conferred by an open admissions policy but is, instead, dependent on providers meeting the information needs of students.

Thesis advisor: Juliet Schor
The relationship between learning and labor has long been a topic of concern for sociologists of education. In this dissertation, I conduct an ethnography of open learning in the United States following the 2008 economic crisis and argue that a new style of learning is emerging amidst changes in the labor market. I call that new style of learning the pedagogy of precarity and emphasize that it challenges credentialism (Collins, 1979), or how U.S. society confers status, jobs, and life chances according to one’s accumulation of academic qualifications. This study is the first sociological ethnography of open learning conducted from the vantage point of learners (Ito et al, 2009) and offers a perspective of how mostly digitally mediated learning practices are utilized within the growing precarity of the new economy. In this dissertation, I show how a sample of open learners sought a different way to connect their learning to their labor when neither felt valuable after the 2008 crisis and subsequent recession. Engaging literatures in the sociology of education, economic sociology, and cultural sociology, this dissertation expands upon the concept of the precariat (Standing, 2011; Gill and Pratt, 2008) in order to explain how “entrepreneurial vagueness” emerges from lived experiences of precariousness. Entrepreneurial vagueness works to buffer subjective status aspirations amidst dwindling objective life chances in the new economy (Bourdieu, 1984a; Sennett, 1998; 2006). In my study, precarity becomes pedagogized (Bernstein, 1996; 2001) and participants “labor to learn” rather than learn to labor. The pedagogy of precarity relies upon autodidactic communalism (Pearce, 1996), a model for learning that puts the burden of self-education on the individual and the community that she can access by successfully adopting a “habitus of trainability” (Bourdieu, 1984a; Bernstein, 1996; 2001). This burden is hard work, but is also described as enjoyable and life giving. The pedagogy of precarity instilled quasi-dignity as participants learned to embody the habitus of trainability. The habitus of trainability entailed developing a taste for usefulness, a taste for craftsmanship, and a taste for association. However, these tastes are not separate from a taste for risk (Neff, 2012; McMillan Cottom, 2017), and thus the pedagogy of precarity lacks sustainability. The findings are relevant to other studies of institutional challenge through peer-to-peer connection as well as work regarding the future of higher education in the new economy
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology

There are fundamental problems with the educational publishing market; textbooks and other education resources cost a significant amount of money to access and are governed by restrictions which limit how they can be accessed, used, and reused. This thesis investigates open publishing in higher education and offers an alternative to how educational materials (particularly textbooks), can sustainably be produced and managed. The research further considers how the broader adoption of open publishing in higher education could positively influence the way publishing in education considers systemic issues such as equity, diversity, and inclusion, and ultimately, provide opportunities to support human development.

Reforming the education system to reflect a new vision of society is part of many peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict societies. Accordingly, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is currently implementing a wide range of reforms in the education system in Iraqi Kurdistan. This research is a qualitative study of the KRG’s efforts to implement a peace education curriculum. It uses critical discourse analysis to investigate the Human Rights Education (HRE) textbooks content for Grades 5 and 7 (ages 11 and 13) and the History Education (HE) textbooks content for Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 (age 11 to 14). The study also focuses on the policy and strategies of the Ministry of Education (ME) in implementing these subjects; the teaching methods used; and how effectively the knowledge, values and skills involved have been disseminated. The approach adopted by the ME to peace education is top down and experiences significant resistance from teachers and parents. Moreover, the curriculum reforms lacked consideration of the hidden and null curricula. The research highlights how HRE contents are primarily focused on cognitive development of awareness of rights and responsibilities rather than acquiring social skills and a critical approach, and that the content was not contextualised to the reality of Iraqi Kurdistan. Furthermore, the research found that the HE curriculum focuses on the history of Iraq, Kurdistan and Islamic history and presents a message that glorifies war; it is not open to different narratives or interpretations and does not foster critical debate or an enquiry-based approach. The curriculum contents included concepts and statements that appear to instigate violence and build divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims. Despite the achievements of the ME in improving the education system there are many challenges such as weak infrastructure, lack of professional development and resistance through the wider cultural context. The methods of teaching are what Freire terms the ‘banking system’, authoritarian and not learner-centred, which largely reflects the social fabric of Kurdish society. The research identified many challenges facing teachers including the level of their commitment, skills, specialization and capacity-building. However, it also found positive support for HRE among students and teachers.

Rapid reform in the vocational education and training sector within Australia has driven the need for a more flexible approach to the delivery of education and training. One facet of such flexibility is Open Learning. Currently there is little research on Open Learning within the training sector on which planning decisions can be based.A model of educational productivity (Walberg,1981) has been proposed in the research literature to investigate relationships between key factors such a student antecedents, learning environments and learning outcomes. The Walberg model has been employed in this current study to explore how these factors may be studied in an Open Learning environment and a more Traditional Learning environment within the vocational education and training sector. The research design is a comparative description, utilising techniques from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms.A major aspect of this current study has been to investigate the constructs proposed by Walberg's Productivity Model and source appropriate instruments to measure these constructs. Where the appropriate instruments were not available, a process of instrument development and validation was conducted.The research has identified Walberg's model as being a valid frame of reference within the Vocational Education and Training sector. As expected, significant differences between the Open Learning environment and the Traditional Learning environment were apparent for the measures of Classroom Environment. Of interest, however, was that the productivity factor of Quantity, for students studying in both learning environments, was shown to have a negative relationship with achievement. While small differences were apparent for other factors, generally, the relationship between productivity factors and educational achievement was seen to be similar for both the Open Learning and the ++
Traditional Learning environments.The findings of the study should be of significance to a range of people involved in the Open Learning environment, including decision makers in the areas of educational policy, curriculum design and implementation, administration and teaching.

The purpose of this study was to examine and identify support service needs and preferences of distance learners studying at the Turkish Open Education System (OES). In order to fulfill this purpose, views and perceptions of OES students on importance and accessibility of student support services at the OES were investigated through a mixed-method approach that uses both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Data collection took place in three distinct phases. In the first phase, available learner support services were identified through review of the literature, investigation of institutional artifacts, and interviews with the institutional representatives. In the second phase, a questionnaire was administered to OES students in order to collect data about demographic information, students' goals and motivations for participating in the distance education program, their perceptions about the importance and accessibility of support services, and types of support services they needed at different stages of their study. It also included open-ended questions to allow participants to comment on factors that are most assistive and most impeding in their distance learning experience, and also to allow them to offer suggestions for improving and/or expanding the existing learner support services. Out of 450 questionnaires distributed, 311 usable questionnaires were returned. In the third phase, individual and group follow-up interviews were performed with OES students to gain an in-depth understanding of participants' distance learning experience and to triangulate questionnaire data. The results of this study revealed that affective support needs of OES students are largely unmet. A large needs gap was identified for five of the six affective support services included in the questionnaire. The largest needs gap was for the counseling services to promote student motivation. Moreover, a large needs gap was identified for two of the ten cognitive support services included in the questionnaire. These were face-to-face academic counseling and communication with course instructor. In addition to affective and cognitive support services, a greater needs gap was identified for one of the six systemic support services, which is orientation to the course media/delivery format. Statistical tests (t test and ANOVA) revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in importance and accessibility ratings of several support services based on gender, employment status, and study time.

The concept of open innovation has been highly popularized both in academia and industry for the last decade. Various types of firms have been studied from high tech to service. Yet, there has been limited academic review of open innovation as a collective business ecosystem. In particular, little research exists on how a business ecosystem is generated, how it adopts concepts associated with open innovation in its business practice, and what sustains an ecosystem over time.

My dissertation demonstrates how one business entity – Chez Panisse – started its business journey and how it practiced what is popularly called open innovation within its community for over 42 years. In order to do so, I closely observed and participated in understanding the California Cuisine ecosystem to collect data. I employed a single-case study method by incorporating in-depth interviews, participatory observation, as well as a thorough collection of publically available data. The research findings indicate that (1) knowledge spillover was a conduit to expand and grow the Chez Panisse ecosystem, (2) co-creation of products and services with ecosystem participants contributed to collective ecosystem innovation, and (3) social innovation and learning were key factors in strengthening the bond among stakeholders and enabled the ecosystem's expansion to the nation, and global level.

I introduce the concept of an Open Innovation Ecosystem as a business ecosystem that co-creates innovations with its stakeholders and captures co-created values collectively within the ecosystem. The Chez Panisse case illustrates how what is popularly referred to as open innovation can be practiced at the level of a business ecosystem and become an important factor in its growth and expansion. The research outcomes suggest that business practitioners should consider employing the approaches identified in this thesis if they are interested in designing, creating and growing or maintaining a business ecosystem. These results additionally indicate that participants of the Chez Panisse open innovation ecosystem stayed engaged because of the educational and social innovation aspects; therefore businesses may want to consider the role that education and social innovation can play in sustaining a healthy business ecosystem.

This thesis investigates the importance of higher education for women of Babati, Tanzania. The research has been carried out by focusing three research questions; What does an education at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) mean for the female students on a personal level? What is the female students’ perception on the importance of women’s higher education for development? How can the female students’ perceptions on the importance of women’s higher education be analyzed within the context of the term women empowerment? In order to answer these questions semi-structured interviews were conducted in Babati town, Tanzania in February 2012 with female students and graduates of the Open University of Tanzania. Out of these interviews is concluded that higher education has significant personal effects for the women interviewed such as increased happiness, independence and self-esteem, which in turn have effects on development. Also it can be shown that the definition of the term women empowerment is disputed and thereby insufficient as a mean for development.

The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of and commentary on recruitment and entry to the teaching profession in England of mature trainees during a decade and a half between 1993 and 2008. It seeks to answer the question of the extent to which mature entry to the profession is able to contribute to teacher supply in England. While a number of national data sets include data on age, and there have been a number of studies and some media reporting in relation to mature entry, there has been, to date, no full account of mature entry to teaching. This thesis aims to fill that gap by providing a synthesis of the available information, interrogating that synthesis and identifying policy implications and questions for further research. The thesis explores the rhetoric and reality behind the efforts made to attract older entrants to teaching, considering the evidence base on which such campaigns were based. It considers the extent to which policy aims have been successfully met in respect of the employment and retention of those trained as mature trainees, and looks at implications for the future.

Mestrado em Ensino Superior
Esta dissertação explora a aplicação do modelo Open Education (educação Aberta), a partir da perspectiva dos estudantes e dos professores da maior Universidade para adultos da China, Chinese Radio and TV University (Universidade Chinesa de Rádio e Televisão). Foi realizado um inquérito, por questionário auto-administrado, aplicado a 28 professores e 299 estudantes, na filial provincial, Anhui Radio and TV University. Destes foram escolhidos os que preencheram o questionário de modo completo, ou seja, 180 estudantes e 19 professores que terminaram o estudo. Os estudantes relataram que o modelo Open Education lhes permitiu atingir um nível superior de avaliação da sua própria aprendizagem, bem como melhorar a auto-aprendizagem. Infelizmente, a aplicação deste novo modelo não atingiu o efeito desejado. Este estudo tenta ainda compreender porque o efeito desejado não foi alcançado, comparando o modelo aberto da instrução com outras teorias de aprendizagem do adulto. Os resultados fornecem um guia para o desenvolvimento e melhorias incrementais ao modelo aberto da instrução ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the application of the Open Education model from the perspectives of students and teachers employed at China’s largest adult university, Chinese Radio and TV University. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 28 teachers and 299 students in the provincial branch of Anhui Radio and TV University. Of those chosen to complete the questionnaire, 180 students and 19 teachers completed the study. Students reported that the Open Education model enabled them to hold a higher level of accountability for their own learning and to learn independently. Unfortunately, the application of the new model has not achieved the desired effect. This dissertation explores why the desired effect was not attained by comparing the Open Education model with other adult learning theories. The findings provide a guide for further development and improvement in the Open Education model.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the adoption of Open Educational Resources had a significant effect on student learning outcomes in seven courses taught at seven post-secondary institutions. The use of open educational resources (OER) is increasing in the United States. Initiatives focusing on expanding the use of OER as a replacement for traditional textbooks at the post-secondary level include OpenStax, Project Kaleidoscope, Open Course Library, and others. While researchers have begun to explore OER, few have sought to evaluate the quality of OER as a function of student academic success. In this dissertation, I examined measures of student success in seven courses at seven different early-adopters of Project Kaleidoscope where faculty members chose to adopt OER to replace traditional textbooks. The sample for this study consisted of students using open textbooks in courses at seven Project Kaleidoscope post-secondary institutions, as well as a control group of students at those same institutions who used traditional textbooks in sections of the same courses. I used an ex-post-facto quasi-experimental design, in which I compared students using OER to students using traditional textbooks in comparable courses. In order to control for the threat of selection bias, I used propensity score matching (PSM) to match treatment and control groups on a set of demographic variables. After creating matched treatment and control groups, I used multiple regression and logistic regression to examine whether textbook selection predicts a measurable difference in student achievement after accounting for relevant covariates. I found that students using open textbooks earned, on average, lower grades than students who used traditional textbooks, after controlling for student-level and course-level covariates. Further analysis revealed that this negative differential was isolated to students in business and psychology classes. I also found that students who used open textbooks enrolled in more credits than students using traditional textbooks, controlling for relevant covariates. Because of the finding of a variation in textbook effect from course to course, future studies may seek to understand the effects of particular OER adoption instances rather than the global effect of OER adoption.

This study investigates the relationship among students' autonomy, agency and emergent learning interests in two open democratic private K-12 schools. Surprisingly, I find that these innovative schools sometimes promote sometimes suppress student agency. I suggest that we need a new means to define education, as our current means seems to constrain even innovative projects.

I begin by tracing the historical path of liberal arts education down two paths for student agency. Historical classical liberal arts education concerned itself with the student as a thinker, while modern conventional education concerns itself with the standardization of students' acquiring content. This has lead to a split the means to empower students' agency. The first is agency-as-capacity in academic subjects, the second is as personal agency and relates to the first, as students are viewed as becoming more able as they master more subject material, but also expresses agency as students' ability to be self-determining, voice their ideas, and reflect critically on their own and other's ideas. I argue that the first path has taken over conventional education and leads education to be outcome based and focused on credentialism. In reaction to the loss of emphasis on personal agency in learning, innovative educators, progressives, democratic educators, free-schoolers, and unschoolers, have sought to return autonomy to students for their own learning decision and deeper meaning making in their learning. The democratic schools in this study follow a distinct line of innovation that departs from progressive educators in that they endeavor to protect and promote the development of students' political and epistemic autonomy through shared student and staff governance of the school and by underlying strong philosophical commitments against imposed curriculum. Out of this study came three findings. First, in spite of the seemingly chaotic environment with little culturally recognizable learning practices at both schools, I observed that children are learning and transforming in their abilities in culturally valued practices primarily through play. I suggest that the individual and cognitive notions of learning coupled with a Industrial Age work architectonic underpinning schooling practices makes it difficult for the students' learning at these schools to be visible to outsiders and sometimes to the staff as well. Student's play and other free choice activity revealed that learning can be evidenced through students' changing genres of participation.

Second, I found that in spite of the belief that students in autonomy supportive environments will find it easy to be engaged in their learning, middle school students, in one school struggled to develop their learning interests. Contrary to the schools' philosophy about the role of student interest in their learning, I found that student inquiries or even their interest is not necessarily the beginning of learning, and questions the notion that students self-determined autonomy is sufficient for their learner agency.

Third, in the second school, in spite of the autonomy afforded students and the ongoing critical dialogue that form a large part of the second school's culture and matching historically classical concerns for the student as a thinker, students experienced a suppression of their agency. The form of critical dialogue the school engages in I define as positive and modernist drawing on the work of Isaiah Berlin (1969) and define a second negative and postmodern critical dialogue rooted in the work of literary critic, Mikhail Bakhtin.

Finally, I suggest that we need to move beyond the current Industrial Age work architectonic of conventional schooling. I recommend a playful/cultural architectonic based on the work of Marjanovic-Shane (2010) as a means to capitalize on the social nature of learning. A play/cultural dynamic can act as a counter force to the reification of knowledge, meaning making, and hierarchical roles in education that tend to suppress the development of students' personal and epistemic agency. This play/cultural architectonic of learning, in my view, better matches the kinds of transformation of agency that students' make in these autonomy-valuing environments. I suggest that schooling, if based on a play/cultural genre of interaction would support both students becoming more capable in culturally valued practices and support students' present and increasing capacity in enacting their personal agency. My conclusion i that we are still realizing students as co-participants and co-creators of the culture.