Strawdog objective
Each OERu financial partner identifies potential institution leads and successfully recruits one new OERu partner institution for our network during 2020
OERu support:
- List of marketing resources (published case studies, promotional videos etc)
- Link to drip email campaign (4 emails) providing information about OERu
- Web conference with senior leadership of prospective partner institutions to answer any questions
What opportunities do YOU see for making progress on this challenge?
- Ask potential partners to identify an issue they are grappling with (e.g. around OER/OEP); pair them up with an existing partner (mentor institution) to show them how they have addressed/solved that particular issue
- Consider outcomes rather than metrics (outcomes are often easier to articulate)
- Networking - building on opportunity to belong (e.g. perhaps an institution you admire is already an OERu partner)
- Build institutional capacity and capability across the network - more collaboration between/across partners
- Design and develop courses around ‘hot topics’ (e.g. blockchain, augmented reality, gaming…) to build reputation and compel institutions to join
- Are there LinkedIn networks we could leverage off (around e.g. open ed, OER, OEP…)? Are there other social media marketing opportunities we’re not seeing?
- Gather learner stories and build these into our marketing materials
- Build expertise in partner / potential partner institutions
- Look at development of Bridging courses
- OERu offers a safe place for innovation (a place to be able to try ideas out)
- Partners able to experiment with technology that the OERu is experienced with
- Gvt agendas seeking to fund innovative education
What are the barriers YOU see for making progress on this challenge?
- How do we articulate the Value Proposition of the OERu? Potential partners need some kind of ‘Benefits’ statement as to why they should join (what are their drivers?)
- How are existing partners demonstrating OERu values? (How visible is this?)
- Consider outcomes rather than metrics (outcomes are often easier to articulate)
- How do we identify and/or approach potential partners?
- Technology barrier (and access to technology)
- Lack of visible mobility (re. user experience)
- Legal barriers in some countries/regions (e.g. in Brazil, formal education can’t be offered through open ed)
- Financial barriers (open ed often regarded as ‘unfundable’ in terms of gvt grants etc in some countries)
- Tensions between commercial opportunities and competitive advantage versus open education
Decisions for action
List your decision proposals including who is assigned to take this forward:
- Each participating institution writes down the value they see in being an OERu partner (benefits statement? list of benefits?) We use OERu to… / We plan to use OERu to… / Our experience with OERu has been… etc
- Develop a rubric/template of some kind, showing what different parties/stakeholders’ experience is - basically, common set of speaking notes (e.g. advantages for CFO, advantages for teaching staff, advantages for registrars, advantages for IT team…), to enable people to speak with authenticity
- Engage with a marketing contact in each partner institution, to start developing the marketing package
- Identify an OERu champion in throughout the institution
- Establish an online community where OERu partners/champions can share ideas/materials among each other (between meetings)