Using OER

Open educational resources based on MediaWiki software offer opportunities for a broad spectrum of use on all levels of education. However, it presents the greatest benefits and possibilities for application to life-long learning and university education. In terms of university education, OER MWS is suitable primarily for studies that require a transdisciplinary overlap and access to the newest knowledge. These resources fulfill their purpose primarily in fields where emphasis is placed on: 

a) Openness of knowledge. The openness of knowledge is a fundamental requirement for the effective dissemination of knowledge. 

b) The need for current information. Knowledge is quickly developing. Primarily in the field of university education, it is therefore necessary to use current sources that are often available earlier in online form than in printed form. OER make it easy to insert links to thematic resources.  

c) Interdisciplinary thought. In university education, being able to think in contexts is appreciated. The OER environment makes it easy to redirect readers to associated topics and provides a well-arranged structure for understanding contexts. 

d) Interconnection of actors. Various problems of study require the connection of various actors in the creation of knowledge and problem solving. For example, open educational resources can be created by professionals from the academic sphere, but also allow for the involvement of actors from the practical field, who can add current knowledge to the resource from their daily practice (e.g. in problems linked to climate change, farmers can state how climatic changes are affecting them specifically in given areas).  

In addition, it is necessary to mention the specific study purposes that MediaWiki OER are best for. This naturally depends on the nature of each resource, which can be designed for various purposes. Nonetheless, it is possible to define the purposes for which these resources are ideal so that their added value – as compared to classic resources such as printed study materials and websites – can manifest itself to the fullest degree. 

The main principles of OER MWS that differ them from other resources can be defined primarily as the possibility of broad, open and collaborative editing, i.e. the option of the given resource to be edited after its creation by anyone, not just its creators or the users they have approved. This, however, can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, anyone with an internet connection can edit and update the resource to include the most recent knowledge, which supports the principles of citizen science and the democratization of knowledge creation. On the other hand, anonymous editing can represent a serious problem for the final appearance of the text, as anonymous contributors can intentionally or unintentionally damage the resource, add unsuitable articles or delete existing sections, thus lowering its quality. 

If the possibility of anonymous editing – as the primary benefit of OER MWS – is upheld, it is necessary to deal with the ways in which its quality and reasons for use are ensured. In cases of anonymous OER MWS, it is problematic when students consider these sources to be as credible as, for example, university study materials or other textbooks written by a professional in the field or a collective of authors. On the contrary, they should be highly cautious in using these resources. 

An ideal purpose for using anonymous OER WMS is as a guidepost to other resources. These resources are not meant to work as a coherent whole to substitute classic resources, but rather as an introduction to the issue – a certain “gateway to the world of knowledge”, i.e. a search engine of information and sources on the issue being studied rather than classic textbook text. From the research we have carried out, it is clear, for example, that the majority of student-respondents use OER MWS in this manner. 

On the contrary, using them for studying for examinations in the sense of substituting them for university resources is usually not recommended; exceptions are cases in which a teacher himself/herself has evaluated and recommended the given resource. Even in this, however, it is still necessary to take caution, as the resource may be changed after being approved of by an expert. Therefore, students should be notified of what version of the page has been checked and told to study that version.