OPENING-UP EDUCATION IN SOUTH-MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES AT THE MACRO, MESO AND MICRO LEVEL

摘要

Open Education offers the potential to increase transparency, equity, democracy and participation. Widening participation and building capacity in Open Education in the South-Mediterranean can lead to a stronger integration of HE systems through interrelated platforms offering OER content within or outside the institution, diversifying the channels and means to learn. As discussed in this paper, for this to happen, change must be envisaged at three levels. First, at the macro or political level, where opening up education should be situated as an important priority and should be implemented with measures that involve as many stakeholders as possible. The Open Education Declaration in Morocco is a good example of this dynamic, as well as an important achievement of OpenMed. Second, at the meso, or institutional level, where incentives should be put in place, and barriers removed, for educators to be able to implement Open Educational Practices for the benefits of their actual and prospective students. And third, at the micro level of the individual educator, since they are the ones that have the power to drive the change by adapting the way they teach, and at the same time by advocating for open education initiatives to be launched or maintained. If universities really want to increase opportunities for access to education, it is essential that the three levels all interact in a virtuous circle, where policy should provide the vision, universities should adapt policy to their local context, and where educators should make it happen at the grassroots level. For this to happen, knowledge must be shared and spread, teachers should be encouraged to network and collaborate on course development, and institutions should be discouraged from fragmentation.