Open pedagogy is a course design approach that prioritizes student agency when creating knowledge. It is often defined as “a practice in which students are creators of openly licensed content for a real-world audience” (Pearce et al., 2022), but this definition can be too restrictive for some educators. As open education expert Abbey Elder notes, open pedagogy can be understood as “a series of practices, a learning style, or a state of mind” (Elder, 2019). Digital learning scholar Suzan Koseoglu writes that open pedagogy can be less a series of specific teaching methods than a paradigm that centers sharing and social justice (Koseoglu, 2020). This is why we included open educational practices as one of the ways that we view curriculum design through an equity lens in the matrix that we introduced in Unit 1.

Open educational practices include the approaches, supports, and processes necessary for students to create the work they want to share. These practices can be transformative because they invite students into a different relationship with instructors and with knowledge. With open pedagogy, students can be collaborators and creators in addition to being learners. Instructors can rely less on assignments that are only for the instructor to read, and take advantage of open licenses to enable students to revise, remix, and create their own content that will be shared more widely with a real-world audience.

The infographic below (figure Y1 3.4) uses the metaphor of a tree to make connections between the ways that different researchers theorize this teaching and learning approach. The creator, Jessica Mahoney, writes that the infographic “reflects the growth mindset of open pedagogy rooted in social justice extending to the wider community. Care and compassion, renewed sustainability, and digital autonomy give energy to this access-oriented teaching philosophy” (Mahoney, 2023).

Implementing Open Pedagogy

Open educator Maha Bali offers guiding questions on what it means to “open” education: “When we call anything ‘open’ we need to clarify: What are we opening, how are we opening it, for whom, and why?” (Bali, 2017). Students can engage with Dr. Bali’s questions about the work they create for a course.

In particular, your textbook will be published with an open license. Students may choose not to attach an open license to their work for a variety of valid reasons. This may be especially resonant for students from marginalized communities where knowledge and skills have historically been appropriated, stolen, or mischaracterized. Giving students invitations, options, and choices is critical in creating projects with integrity. It’s a good idea to offer a public option and a private option (an alternative to the open assignment that’s only read by you, or only read by you + classmates).

Open educational practices are rooted in respect for student agency and authority. The Open Pedagogy Student Toolkit [Website] helps students understand the benefits, and the rights and responsibilities, that come with being a student creator. Open Licenses for Students [Google Folder] includes helpful slide decks orienting students to copyright and open licenses.

As you think about equity-minded design for your open curriculum, consider how you might invite students to share their voices and generate knowledge in your textbook. The suggestions below are intended to emphasize ideas that can be feasible in the timeline of our projects.

• Reach out to current or former students to gauge their interest in contributing openly licensed stories, reflection questions, art projects, personal interviews, or reflections to your project. Project funding may be available to compensate students for their time and labor.
• Search for existing openly licensed collections of student work relating to your curriculum focus or subject.
• Consider gaps or erasures you notice in your background scan materials. Where can it be helpful to invite new voices through student contributions?

Open Pedagogy Resources

Optional reading:

• What is Open Pedagogy? [Website]. David Wiley is one of the foundational thinkers in the open education field. This blog post defines open pedagogy as an effective teaching practice.
• Open Pedagogy Notebook [Website]. Robin DeRosa and Rajiv Jhangiani have made open pedagogy more accessible and understandable to other instructors. This website includes an essay they co-authored that broadens Wiley’s definition of open pedagogy.
• Your Discomfort Is Valid: Big Feelings and Open Pedagogy [Website]. Liz Pearce, Silvia Lin Hanick, Amy Hofer, Lori Townsend, and Michaela Willi Hooper co-authored an article about the affective dimensions of implementing open pedagogy. It includes a visual model showing how open educators can raise or lower the stakes of an open pedagogy assignment.

There are also collections of open pedagogy projects to explore for examples:

• Open Pedagogy projects compiled by Austin Community College Library Services [Website]. Includes examples of students as textbook contributors, students as question bank authors, students as community partners, and students as content producers.
• Open Pedagogy Approaches [Website]. Explores open pedagogy projects from a number of academic disciplines.
• Open Pedagogy Assignments [Website]. Covers ways that students might edit existing works, revise and remix existing works, build ancillaries (things like test banks, presentation tools, practice problem sets, and illustrations), or contribute original work.

Unit Self-Check Questions

Licenses and Attributions for Open Pedagogy in Curriculum Design

Open content, original

“Open Pedagogy in Curriculum Design” by Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Open content, shared previously

“Open Pedagogy in Curriculum Design” introduction is adapted from Getting Started with Open Educational Practices and Open Educational Practices by Veronica Vold, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Figure Y1 3.4. Open Pedagogy: Interconnected Branches by Jessica Mahoney is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

References