Ireland has been highlighted as a leading model of good practice in the recent UNESCO Guidelines on the implementation of the OER Recommendation (March 2024). Following the adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Education Resources (OER) at the 40th UNESCO General Conference in Paris on 25 November 2019, UNESCO initiated a programme to support governments and educational institutions in implementing the Recommendation.
This programme included the development of a set of five guidelines for governments developed through an extensive and comprehensive consultative process in collaboration with OER experts globally. By supporting and implementing the OER Recommendation, governments and institutions can enhance the accessibility of high-quality education and drive transformation within education systems. This commitment to OER is deemed crucial for building education systems that are resilient and adaptable, capable of addressing the demands of a rapidly changing world.
Within these guidelines, Ireland is showcased as an example of good practice in the Guidelines on the implementation of the OER Recommendation Action Area 2: developing supportive policy. In response to a recognised deficiency in policies covering areas such as blended and online learning, lecture recording, virtual classrooms, digital assessment, and OER, the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education worked with the sector to develop a guide following a five-step process to ensure that policy-making is meaningful, inclusive, collaborative, and intentionally equitable.
In 2023, The National Forum was recognised as a Laureate of the esteemed UNESCO Prize for the Use of ICT in Education. This recognition was for its initiative, ‘Supporting Open Education: Ireland’s Model for Supporting the Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) for Teaching and Learning’, implemented through its ongoing development of digital platforms, the National Resource Hub and Open Courses for educators.
The National Forum will review the latest series of implementation guidelines to identify and leverage areas where it can continue to further support the sector.