Open Educational Resources

Creating Blaze for Delivery of Open Educational Resources

Introduction

One of the challenges in the developing world is ensuring that people are given the education they need in order to be competitive in today’s world and to help bring their families and communities out of poverty. However, the resources needed to provide this education are not always available, since education has traditionally been expensive.

Open education resources (OER) is a growing movement dedicated to providing learning materials, such as course materials and curriculum and learning tools, to users for free. With the increasing access that developing countries have to the Internet, more and more distribution platforms for OER are being developed. 

This project was to test the value of Flintbox as a possible OER distribution site, with a special focus on providing course materials that could be used in developing nations. Flintbox (http://www.flintbox.com,) established in 2003 by UBC Research Enterprises at the University of British Columbia, is an online meeting place for researchers and industry members to collaborate and exchange licensed intellectual property material. Flintbox is an attempt at creating a MySpace-like online environment for the academic world, using social networking tools to allow users with similar interests to find each other.

Red River College (RRC) was challenged to develop additional uses for the Flintbox platform. In conjunction with Flintbox, the Canadian Virtual College Consortium, and four other Canadian academic institutions, RRC developed a site called BLAZE. The BLAZE site was conceived as a place that would allow users in developing countries to download free open education resources.

The Method

RRC contacted members of the Canadian Virtual College Consortium (CVCC) and colleges across Canada to find institutions that were interested in participating in the project. Several institutions expressed interest, and five institutions were identified to participate in the pilot project: College of the North Atlantic, Holland College, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, RRC, and Vancouver Community College. RRC suggested several topics for curriculum materials that would be useful for learners in developing countries, such as vocational safety, adult education, curriculum development, and technical courses.

In order to post material on the BLAZE site, participants must be members of Flintbox. Since not all of the participating institutions were members, RRC and CVCC offered to post material on behalf of institutions that were not members.

Results

The pilot project for the BLAZE site concluded in late 2008. By the end of the pilot project, the following three educational resources had been posted to the BLAZE site:

• A simulation for the correct and safe operation of a computer numerical control mill
• Strategies for the development of a curriculum
• Theory and strategies for developing an active learning environment in the classroom

The first course, on the correct and safe operation of a computer numerical control mill, was a multimedia course that included movies and a simulation model. All of the course materials are available on the BLAZE site for immediate download.

The other two course listings on the BLAZE site contain information about the course, but a user must enquire with the materials contact in order to be given access to the course materials.

To access the information on the three courses go to:

Simulation of the operation of a numerical control mill

http://www.flintbox.com/technology.asp?page=1232

Developing an active learning environment in the classroom

http://www.flintbox.com/technology.asp?page=3644

Curriculum Development

http://www.flintbox.com/technology.asp?page=3645

or on the Blaze site http://www.flintbox.com/searchresults.asp?network=L_ERC&lID=ERC.

For further information on Blaze and OER please contact us.

If you would like to add to these resources, please contact:

Paul Little, Chair
CVCC
c/o Red River College
CM30-2055 Notre Dame Ave
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0J9
plittle@rrc.mb.ca
204.632.2232