Validation and open educational resources (OER). Thematic report for the 2016 update of the European inventory on validation

Summary:

This thematic report focuses on validation of learning acquired through open educational resources (OER), such as participation in massive open online courses.

Based on a review of the literature and data collected for the European inventory, the report explores how validation may relate to the use of OER. It explores relevant main types of validation mechanism and provides an overview of validation practices, with particular focus on assessment and certification; it also outlines a range of conclusions and recommendations.

These recommendations emphasise the importance of knowledge-sharing and spreading good practice on validation of OER-derived learning, including awarding full qualifications, raising stakeholder awareness, strengthening measures that link OER-derived learning to more generic systems for validation, and further investing in high-quality assessment systems.

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