Hi Simon, During our 2012 prototype phase we aim to keep things simple, doable and within our means to achieve a successful outcome.
We're not intending to host a networked LMS instance under one domain for the protoypes, but rather to provide easy ways to integrate OERu learning resource which we can deliver to any LMS from WikiEducator with a few clever javascript implementations to remove redundant wiki navigation for the target delivery technology. As a small educational charity -- we do not have the financial resources to consider enterprise scale federation solutions at this time. Moreover, the OER Foundation will not use non-free software solutions we host as a matter of policy. We respect the freedoms of learners and anchor partners to use the technologies of their choice which is why we are using the current approach for the prototypes which need to be up and running in 2012. I hope other networks with advanced knowledge and capacity to design, develop and provide support for federated solutions you are talking about will take the lead and address the gaps the OER Foundation is not equipped to tackle. This is one of the reasons we conduct all our meetings transparently -- others can see what we are doing and where they can fit in to add value to the OERu network. The OERu is a large, complex and ambitious international project. The OER Foundation is very focused on what our role is within the network and we will avoid the temptations of mission drift. Message: Bring your partners to the table to provide these solutions. The OERF does not have the capacity to do this. On Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 7:30 PM, simonfj <[email protected]> wrote: > I'd like to focus on this one by Jim at USQ. > > What about the cost of existing institutional licensing agreements with > (i)the vendors of LMS software and (ii) publishers who provide access to > e-library resources, including full text e-content? These financial > agreements are usually a function of the number of "seats" which are > provided *only* for an agreed number of officially registered mainstream > students > > *"The suggested solution to these potentially problematic issues is to > offer OERu courses (based solely on OER and embracing the pedagogy of > discovery) via Moodle on WikiEducator thereby avoiding financial and > administrative system interface complexities". > * > Statement: One primary role for OERu in all of this is that it becomes a > "services provider/broker" to various Access federations. > > Hosting a Moodle on the Wikieducator *domain* is a logical approach, just > as it does a wiki at the moment. Other open source applications would > naturally follow (depending on the communities' wants). > > We can see the usual (institutional- centric) approach as SUNY begins to > outsource its Moodle needs to MoodleRooms, as a host, in a cloud. This > institutional centric approach is something aggregators like bccampus > already aim to overcome by brokering, on behalf of a number of > institutions, relationships with commercial service providers like Adobe, > Elluminate as well as hosting opensource "apps" like Moodle. > http://www.bccampus.ca/partnerships/ > > I've been suggesting that one of OERu's role is to act as the broker > between National "access federations" like the aaf as well as other smaller > (state wide) ones like bccampus. USQ, for example, is already a member of > the ANZ federation. http://www.aaf.edu.au/subscribe/subscribers/ They > share access to a range of *catalogu*ed services with other institutional > subscribers. I can't see any reason why wikieducator/OERu services wouldn't > be hosted in the aaf cloud, and could be spread from there. > > National Access Federations all share one primary focus = to enable * > National* institutions to share "services=apps". They all do this on an > uncoordinated (between federations) basis already. So each national > federation has their separate list of service providers. > https://refeds.terena.org/index.php/Federations > > At present Access federations are attempting to work though how they > share services (i.e. ConFederate) on a global basis. The focus for these > activities always comes down to focussing on a "Virtual Organisation", of > which OERu is one of the few global ones. OERu is the only I've seen that > works in the "common services" space (moodles wikis, etc). Most others are > based around large specialised research production networks like the Hadron > Collider. > > So, as I see it, one of OERu's roles in developing an International > network is being the entity which aggregates a range of "services" under > the one domain, which will be common to all access federations; An "honest > broker" if you will. The main services (in such a platform) will be the > kind that will support these governance meetings. > > WE have seen during this open meeting that there "is there a model where > students get some recognition that is perhaps skills / outcomes based that > is not as bound by governance and accreditation" (as mentioned by SNHU, > even if their names haven't been mentioned so far:). It's based on, not > only capturing/distributing these open governance meetings on a(n > increasingly) professional basis, but also working through the > development/Confederation of (open access) platforms, which will include > other institutions. (if for no other reason than it saves duplication and > money) > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "WikiEducator" group. > To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org > To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] -- Wayne Mackintosh <http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg>, Ph.D. Director OER Foundation <http://www.oerfoundation.org> Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. Founder and elected Community Council Member, WikiEducator<http://www.wikieducator.org> Mobile +64 21 2436 380 Skype: WGMNZ1 Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/Mackiwg> | identi.ca<http://identi.ca/waynemackintosh> Wikiblog <http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg/Blog> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]
