11. Wider communityInitiatives<br />What OER/OEP initiatives can be evidenced? Is there any evidence to show that OER initiatives do not always promote OEP but “only” access to OER?<br />In the case of UnisulVirtual they are promoting both OER and OEP.<br />Open Educational Practices <br />Can you identify some case studies/ descriptions which form the illustrative base for a more general model of OEP?<br />Yes, there’s a collaboration cycle that can be found at:<br />http://aisantos.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/openlearn-research-report-2006-2008/ (pg 54-55)<br />Tools and Repositories<br />What tools and repositories are being used to deliver OER/OEP? For example GLOW, Connexions.<br />Are there any other special tools for OER/OEP? e.g. Cloudworks, in which practices can be discussed and validated?<br />Are there any tools for Visualisation? e.g. CompendiumLD<br />Are there any tools for Argumentation? e.g. Cohere<br />They are using the existing OpenLearn platform as to avoid duplication of efforts (particularly the experimental place for user-generated contributions, the LabSpace).<br />Strategies <br />Can you identify any strategies for organisations to use OER/OEP? Can you identify any business models that promote OER/OEP?<br />Yes. The business model of UnisulVirtual was one of ‘independent investment’; that is, they did not use public funding money to promote their OER initiative but invested out of their own university funds to implement it. From the beginning, their effort towards staff acculturation meant that their aim was to mainstream OER into their usual university practices.<br />Current barriers and enablers<br />What are the barriers to the use of OER/OEP? Is there any evidence to how these barriers have been overcome? What are the enablers to the use of OER/OEP?<br />Barriers - Language (English) was an initial barrier. UnisulVirtual had to hire staff to translate the OER and to discuss them with lecturers, for adaptation and localisation purposes.<br />
![Template Sections for completion:<br />Case Study Title: <br />UnisulVirtual<br />Case Study Country:<br />Brazil <br />Type of organisation described by the case study, address of organisation, hyperlink to organisation, hyperlink to case study source: <br />HE<br />http://labspace.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3194<br />Case Study Contributed by:<br />Andreia Inamorato dos Santos<br />Sections 1-10<br />Mandatory - A brief summary of the institution to be used as a case study<br />About 500 words please on a description of the institution, its OER history and approach.<br />UnisulVirtual is a private university located in the state of Santa Catarina in the south of Brazil. The motivations for UnisulVirtual to join the OER movement were manifold. First, there was an opportunity, which was to collaborate with the Open University (OU) of the United Kingdom in the provision of OER. <br />UnisulVirtual perceived as beneficial the possibility to make use of the existing platform OpenLearn, in which educational resources had been made available by the OU under the Creative Commons License. This license enabled individuals to make reuse the materials and change them for non-commercial purposes. UnisulVirtual therefore chose to both translate OpenLearn materials into Portuguese and publish them, and to translate their own materials into English, and make them available in both languages.<br />The spotted opportunity was to make use of an existing repository rather than building a new one from scratch. <br />What constitutes educational practice in this case study is the facilitation of the access to educational materials to both higher education students and the wider community.<br />Quality - OER/OEP<br />How does the institution approach quality in OER? Is there any current indication of a quality concept or process? Does the institution perceive quality from the perspective of the quality of open educational resources or the quality of open educational practice? How does the institution show quality through OEP versus quality of OEP? What methods, concepts and practices are used to enhance the quality of OEP?<br />UnisulVirtual have always been concerned with quality, both in terms of the educational materials offered and in terms of the newly adopted open educational practice that offering OER brought about. <br />UnisulVirtual carefully chose materials from the OpenLearn platform to be translated into Portuguese on the basis of their subject suitability to their students, and on the basis of relevance, clarity and depth. The OpenLearn materials were analysed by the UnisulVirtual tutors and referred to translation. The translation of UnisulVirtual’s own material into English followed a similar process.<br />Likewise, there was a new open education practice taking place in the institution. UnisulVirtual was a pioneer institution to embrace the production and provision of OER in higher education in Brazil, and was willing to experiment with adopting this new practice by motivating and supporting both staff members and students to take part. <br />Although UnisulVirtual did not create a new repository of materials, they made considerable financial investment to allow for the collaboration to happen. UnisulVirtual invested in staff to manage the OER adoption process in the institution, and also in human resources and services such as translations, IT professionals, tutors hours and training and events.<br />Their approach to quality is perceived by both their approach to OER and OEP.<br />,[object Object]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/opalcasestudy49unisulvirtualbrazil-100507071040-phpapp02/85/opal-case-study-49-unisul-virtual-brazil-1-320.jpg)
