ENCORE+

Overview

The European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education (ENCORE+) responds to the European priorities of opening up and modernising education and training through the creation of a network that supports innovation and entrepreneurship with OER.

ENCORE+ starts from the insight that while there are viable, established strategies for OER there is no integrated European OER university-business ecosystem able to identify, catalyse and share best practices. ENCORE+ supports the uptake of OER through business and academia by sharpening value propositions and implementation strategies for OER in higher education and the world of work.

ENCORE+ builds the foundation for the European OER Ecosystem which can best support innovation and inclusion in education and training; improve digital skills; improve employability; and share the benefits of open online learning with as many Europeans as possible.

• Developing a validated, shared vision and roadmap for OER in Europe
• Providing a sustainable European collaboration model which responds to authentic needs
• Working with diverse stakeholders to create and pilot the ENCORE+ OER Quality Framework 
• Establishing European OER Strategy Guidelines for higher education & businesses 
• Establishing a well connected European OER Ecosystem of technologies & communities.

The role of IET

The Open University has an international reputation in OER research, and has an award-winning approach to open educational practice. IET lead the Innovation strand of the project, highlighting and amplifying examples of innovative practice and researching new business models which incorporate aspects such as open licences or open educational practices.  Expertise from IET is also applied more broadly in the project to support the modernisation and digitalisation of educational delivery; and bridging non-formal & formal education through recognition of open learning.

Impact

In the short term, ENCORE+ supports the uptake of OER through business and academia by taking a leading role in sharpening existing value propositions and implementation strategies for OER in higher education and transferring them effectively to the world of work. 

1. Engaging business actors in the OER ecosystem by demonstrating the innovation potential of open content for Human Resources development in companies.
2. Nurturing the uptake of OER in Europe by stimulating the integration of organisational strategies for OER in business and academia, encouraging both sectors to co-learn from successful implementation practice.
3. Contributing to the development of a sustained and well-mapped European OER innovation area by connecting and fostering knowledge exchange across HE and business.
4. Organising and opening cultures and communities to facilitate stakeholder collaboration and catalyse the spread of innovative practices built on OER across the European area.
5. Realising a new vision for technological infrastructure which develops collaboration and connection among OER repositories into a European OER Ecosystem.
6. Establishing open, distributed and highly trusted community-based quality review strategies for the future European OER Ecosystem and involve businesses and higher education institutions in dialogues on quality and innovation through OER.

As well as the ENCORE+ network itself, formal outputs from the project include:

• The European OER Repository Ecosystem - A Pan-European Stakeholder survey and topic map
• OER Innovation Evaluation Framework & Toolkit for businesses and academia
• The European OER Repository Ecosystem 2030 Delphi Report
• OER Policy Good practices for businesses and academia
• The European OER Ecosystem Quality Approach
• OER future technology showcases demonstrating networked OER repositories and integrating technology frameworks as well as examples of innovations supported
• More than 20 ENCORE+ Innovation Showcase Practices & “Pathways to Innovation” reports
• Policy recommendation: Building the Future European OER Repository Ecosystem

Set of sustainability success factors in OER innovation partnerships, funding and stakeholders commitment.