Book review: OERs and Change in Higher Education: Reflections from Practice

Glennie, J. et al. (2012) Perspectives on Open and Distance Learning: OERs and Change in Higher Education: Reflections from Practice Vancouver BC/Paris: Commonwealth of Learning/UNESCO. The book is available for free downloading.

From the publisher’s web site:

Although OER activities are taking place globally, most large and well funded projects have been in North America and Europe. As a result, little is known about important questions such as how the more acute levels of resource constraint typical of developing countries impact on demand for OER and on their reuse. The case studies and reflections in this book cover OER practice and policy in a diverse range of contexts, with a strong focus on events in developing countries. However, the focus on experiences from the developing world is not exclusive, as valuable “generic lessons” applicable also to developing countries can be drawn from research in the more developed countries.

Review of the book

Hammer, S. (2013) Review of Perspectives on Open and Distance Learning: OERs and Change in Higher Education: Reflections from Practice British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol.44, no. 2

At the end of her review, Dr. Hammer states:

A key strength of this book is the breadth of coverage of issues that are relevant to OER combined with the particular challenges and opportunities that their use presents to poorer developing nations. I would recommend it to any educator interested in finding out more about this amazing movement and even starting to put these ideas into practice