ICDE OER Advocacy Committee (OERAC)
ABOUT
The ICDE OER Advocacy Committee (OERAC) was first established at the 27th ICDE World Conference in Toronto, October 2017 with the objective to increase global recognition of OER; and to provide policy support for the uptake, use and reuse of OER. In 2021, the OERAC was decided renewed for a period of 4 years from 2021 to 2024 by the ICDE Board and an open call was disseminated to all ICDE members to submit applications to the renewed committee.
The first mandate period will be of two years, from 2021-2022, aligned with the ICDE Strategic Plan and more specifically with the ICDE Activity Plan for 2021-2022. Prof. Ebba Ossiannilsson, ICDE Board member and Vice President of the Swedish Association for Open, Flexible and Distance Education (SADE) is the Chair of the OERAC since 2018.
For the second period 2023-2024, an open call will be re-issued to ICDE members to propose candidates for the remaining two years. Current and previous Ambassadors may be re-nominated.
OERAC BLOG
Committee members
All members of the ICDE Advocacy Committee are appointed ICDE Ambassadors for OER for a limited term until end 2022. The renewed Committee consists of representatives from 6 different world regions and include the following Ambassadors:
Ambassadors:
• Ebba Ossiannilsson, Professor, Dr. Consultant and VP, Swedish Association for Open, Flexible and Distance Education (SADE), Sweden, ICDE Board, Chair
• Jane-Frances Obiageli Agbu, Associate Professor, National Open University of Nigeria, Nigeria
• Cengiz Hakan Aydin, Professor, Anadolu University, Turkey
• Melinda de la Pena Bandalaria, Chancellor and Professor, University of the Philippines Open University, the Philippines
• Daniel Burgos, Vice-rector for International Research, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Spain
• Xiangyang Zhang, Emeritus Professor, Open University of Jiangsu, China
• Rosa Leonor Ulloa Cazarez, Professor, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico
• Mpine Makoe, Professor, University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa
• Cristine Gusmao, Associate Professor, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil
• Yi Yang, Professor, Franklin University, USA
• Constance Blomgren, Associate Professor, Athabasca University, Canada
• Trish Chaplin-Cheyne, Director Learning and Teaching Development, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand
GUIDELINES FOR MEMBERS of the ICDE OER ADVOCACY COMMITTEE, ICDE OERAC, 2021-2022
• Advocacy is on OER. Main task is to support the implementation of the UN UNESCO OER recommendations and the monitoring and evaluation activities
• Applications for a membership in the ICDE OER Advocacy Committee can be made by an active ICDE member (paid annual membershp fee) that has a record and capacity to contribute to significant advocacy for OER.
• Members are appointed as ICDE OER Ambassadors by the Secretary General Torunn Gjelsvik on behalf of the ICDE Executive Committee.
• The ICDE OER Ambassador is not a funded position, but awarding it provides extra profile to the holder, expressing ICDE’s interest in his/her voice on OER, underlining his/her reputation.
• ICDE OER Ambassadors are bound to establish a network among themselves in which they and their teams collaborate, and to which experts in the subject area from other institutions may be admitted.
• ICDE OER Ambassadors are expected to jointly and individually plan OER advocacy actions.
• When invited and if possible, Ambassadors should be prepared to play a role at e.g. ICDE World Conferences, Leadership Summits, Regional Conferences, Expert Seminars or other events relevant for the purpose.
• The Chair for the ICDE OERAC suggests its activities and progress in collaboration with the ICDE Secretariat. The ICDE OER Ambassadors have an independent position and will inform ICDE of their activities through a light-version annual report.
Basis for the 2021-2022 OERAC draft mandate
The 2021-2022 OERAC mandate is based on the ICDE Strategic Plan 2021-2024 and ICDE Activity Plan 2021-2022, the UNESCO Recommendation on OER from 2019 and ICDEs role as a partner in the UNESCO OER Dynamic Coalition. The mandate also builds on recommendations from the Final report from the OERAC for 2020.
useful links
2021 OERAC Mandate
2020 OERAC article in Journal Distance and Mediation of Knowledge: From Open Educational Resources to Open Educational Practices: For resilient sustainable education
2020 OERAC mandate
2019-2020 ICDE insider OERAC blogposts