Exploring our Open Educational Practices in Support of Excellence in Graduate Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2023.3.1.53

Keywords:

open educational practices, OEP, graduate education, collaborative autoethnography, values, competencies, online teaching and learning, graduate supervision, learning design

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of our exploration of our open educational practices (OEP) with graduate students. As reflective practitioners, we used a self-study methodology and collaborative autoethnographic methods to interrogate our open approaches to teaching and supervision. We draw on our developing competencies to support the wisdom, critical thinking, resilience, and adaptability of our graduate students. The article extends preliminary findings about graduate education and open practices in relation to and emerging from earlier work (Ives et al., 2022), which committed us to further exploration of our practices. Using our definition of OEP which expands on the work of several open scholars, we report new findings from our in-depth collaborative analysis of data collected over two years. We found a gap in the literature examining the use of OEP with graduate students. Findings include OEP and their alignment with our values and competencies, as well as OEP within our teaching, course design, and graduate supervisory practices. We offer insights into the outcomes of our practices for students and ourselves, and ways we can improve.

References

Andrade, A., Ehlers, U. D., Caine, A., Carneiro, R., Conole, G., Kairamo, A.-K., Koskinen, T., Kretschmer, . . . Holmberg, C. (2011). Beyond OER: Shifting focus to open educational practices (OPAL Report 2011). Open Educational Quality Initiative. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:464-20110208-115314-6

Athabasca University (2023, November 7). Governance: Our I-CARE values. https://www.athabascau.ca/about-au/governing.html#icarevalues

Baran, E., & AlZoubi, D. (2020). Affordances, challenges, and impact of open pedagogy: Examining students' voices. Distance Education, 41(2), 230-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1757409 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1757409

Bates, A. W. (2020, March 9)). Advice to those about to teach online because of the corona-virus. Online Learning and Distant Education Resources. https://www.tonybates.ca/2020/03/09/advice-to-those-about-to-teach-online-because-of-the-corona-virus/

Bell, K. (2022). Increasing undergraduate student satisfaction in higher education: The importance of relational pedagogy. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(4), 490-503. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1985980 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1985980

Bengtsen, S.S., & McAlpine, L. (2022). A novel perspective on doctoral supervision: Interaction of time, academic work, institutional policies and lifecourse. Learning and Teaching, 15(1), 21-45. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2022.150103 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2022.150103

Bosch, G. (2018). Train PhD students to be thinkers not just specialists. Nature (54), 277. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-01853-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-01853-1

Bozkurt, A., Koseoglu, S., & Singh, L. (2019). An analysis of peer reviewed publications on openness in education in half a century: Trends and patterns in the open hemisphere. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 35(4), 78-97. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.4252 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.4252

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide (1st ed.) [e-book]. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsqmip.2022.1.33.46

Brown, B., Jacobsen, M., Roberts, V., Hurrell, C., Neutzling, N., & Travers-Hayward, M. (2022). Open Educational Practices (OEP) create conditions for learning in a graduate school. In M. Jacobsen, & C. Smith (Eds.), Online learning and teaching from kindergarten to graduate school (pp. 457-483). Canadian Association for Teacher Education. http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40509

Buirski, N. (2022). Ways of being: A model for supportive doctoral supervisory relationships and supervision. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(5), 1387-1401. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1910209 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1910209

Campbell, L. (2022). What is open educational practice? https://open.ed.ac.uk/what-is-open-education-practice/

Carey, T., Davis, A., Ferreras, S., & Porter, D. (2015). Using open educational practices to support institutional strategic excellence in teaching, learning & scholarship. Open Praxis, 7(2), 161-171. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1075354 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.7.2.201

Chang, H., Ngunjiri, F., & Hernandez, K.C. (2016). Collaborative autoethnography. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315432137

Chang, H. (2013). Individual and collaborative autoethnography as method: A social scientist’s perspective. In S. Holman Jones, T.E. Adams, & C. Ellis (Eds.), Handbook of Autoethnography. Routledge.

Chugh, R., Macht, S., & Harreveld, B. (2022). Supervisory feedback to postgraduate research students: A literature review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(5), 683-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1955241 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1955241

Conole, G. (2018). Frameworks for learning design. In H. Beetham & R. Sharpe (Eds.), Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age, (3rd ed.) Routledge.

Cook-Sather, A. (2023). Three models for embracing student expertise in the development of pedagogical partnership programs. International Journal for Students as Partners, 7(2), 181–191. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i2.5416 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i2.5416

Cronin, C., & MacLaren, I. (2018). Conceptualising OEP: A review of theoretical and empirical literature in Open Educational Practices. Open DOI: https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.10.2.825

Praxis, 10(2), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.10.2.825 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.10.2.825

Denshire, S., & Lee, A. (2013). Conceptualizing autoethnography as assemblage: Accounts of occupational therapy practice. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 12, 221-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691301200110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691301200110

Deshpande, A. (2017). Faculty best practices to support students in the ‘'virtual doctoral land." Higher Education for the Future, 4(1), 12-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631116681211 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631116681211

Ehlers, U. D. (2011). Extending the territory: From open educational resources to open educational practices. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, 15(2), 1–10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1079969.pdf

Elias, T. (2022). Considering the implications and mechanisms of scale within open education [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Calgary http://hdl.handle.net/1880/115046

Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. (2000). Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as subject. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd ed., pp. 733-768). Sage.

Gu, X. (2021). Response to “A design framework for enhancing engagement in student-centered learning: own it, learn it, and share it”: a design perspective. Educational Technology Research & Development, 69(1), 101–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09896-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09896-w

Gunawardena,C. N. (2020). Culturally inclusive online learning for capacity development projects in international contexts. Journal of Learning for Development, 7(1), 5-30. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v7i1.403 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v7i1.403

Hauge, K. (2021). Self-study research: Challenges and opportunities. In M.J. Hernández-Serrano (Ed.). Teacher education in the 21st century – Emerging skills for a changing world. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252

Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of open pedagogy: A model for using open educational resources, Educational Technology, 55(4), 3-13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44430383

Henard, F., & Roseveare, D. (2012). Fostering quality teaching in higher education: Policies and practices. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/education/imhe/QT%20policies%20and%20practices.pdf

Holman Jones S., Adams, T., Ellis, C. (2013). Introduction: Coming to know autoethnography as more than method. In Handbook of Autoethnography. Routledge.

Holmberg, B. (1994). Theory and practice of distance education (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Theory-and-Practice-of-Distance-Education-2nd-Edition/Holmberg/p/book/9780415112925

Ives, C., Perry, B., Walsh, P., & Kier, C. (2022, December 2). Integrity matters: Using open educational practices to address online integrity. UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning. https://etico.iiep.unesco.org/en/integrity-matters-using-open-educational-practices-address-online-integrity

Ives, C. Perry, B., Walsh, P. (2022). Incorporating open educational practices in graduate education: A collaborative autoethnographic study. Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Conference Research Paper, 2(1) 1-7. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessac.2022.2.1.101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/otessac.2022.2.1.101

Jacobsen, M., Alharbi, H., Taylor, L., Bairstow, L., & Roberts, V. (2021). The design and evaluation of online faculty development for effective graduate supervision. The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 1(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2021.1.1.3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2021.1.1.3

Janssen, S., van Vuuren, M., & de Jong, M.D.T. (2021). Sensemaking in supervisor-doctoral student relationships: Revealing schemas on the fulfillment of basic psychological needs. Studies in Higher Education, 46(12), 2738-2750. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1804850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1804850

Johnson, W. B. (2008). Are advocacy, mutuality, and evaluation incompatible mentoring functions? Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 16, 31- 44. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260701800942 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260701800942

Kiley, M. (2009). ‘You don’t want a smart Alec’: selecting examiners to assess doctoral dissertations. Studies in Higher Education, 34(8), 889-903. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802713112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802713112

Koseoglu, S., & Bozkurt, A. (2018). An exploratory literature review on open educational practices. Distance Education, 39(4), 441-461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1520042

https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1520042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1520042

Magnet, S., Mason, C., & Trevenen, K. (2014). Feminism, pedagogy, and the politics of kindness. Feminist Teacher, 25, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.5406/femteacher.25.1.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/femteacher.25.1.0001

Mercer, N. (2001). Why I study… interthinking. The Psychologist, 14(12), 648-649.

Noddings, N. (2013). Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education (2nd ed.). University of California Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt7zw1nb

Noone, J., Najjar R., & Quintana, A.D., Koithan, M., & Vaughn, S. (2020). Nursing workforce diversity: Promising educational practices. Journal of Professional Nursing, 36(5), 386–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.02.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.02.011

Olivier, J., Toit-Brits, C., Bunt, B.J., & Dhakulkar, A. (Eds.) (2022). Contextualized open educational practices: Toward student agency and self-directed learning. AOSIS Scholarly Books. https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/345

Olmos-López, P., & Sunderland, J. (2017). Doctoral supervisors’ and supervisees’ responses to co-supervision. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 41(6), 727-740. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1177166

https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1177166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1177166

Palmgren-Neuvonen, L., Littleton, K., & Hirvonen, N. (2021). Dialogic spaces in divergent and convergent collaborative learning tasks. Information and Learning Sciences, 122(5-6), 409-431. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-02-2020-0043 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-02-2020-0043

Paskevicius, M. (2018). Exploring educators experiences implementing open educational practices [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Victoria]. UVicSpace. https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/CA77BB

Paskevicius, M., & Irvine, V. (2021). Theoretical and methodological approaches for investigating open educational practices. Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 1(2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2021.1.2.11 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2021.1.2.11

Pollard, R., & Kumar, S. (2021). Mentoring graduate students online: Strategies and challenges. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(2), 267–284. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v22i2.5093 DOI: https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v22i2.5093

Pithouse-Morgan, K. (2022). Self-study in teaching and teacher education: Characteristics and contributions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103880 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103880

Pratt, D.D., & Collins, J.B. (2020). Teaching Perspectives Inventory. http://www.teachingperspectives.com/tpi/

Prokopetz Zuba, R. (2022). ePortfolio Pedagogy: Stimulating a shift in mindset. The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2022.2.1.27 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2022.2.1.27

Pulker, H., & Papi, C. (2021). The history of an English-speaking university: Athabasca University: An interview with Nancy K. Parker. Médiations & médiatisations – Revue internationale sur le numérique en éducation et communication, 6. https://revue-mediations.teluq.ca/index.php/Distances/article/view/194/155 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52358/mm.vi6.194

Rieger, K. L., Chernomas, W. M., McMillan, D. E., & Morin, F. L. (2020). Navigating creativity within arts-based pedagogy: Implications of a constructivist grounded theory study. Nurse Education Today, 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104465 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104465

Riva, E., Gracia, L., & Limb, R. (2022). Using co-creation to facilitate PhD supervisory relationships. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(7), 913-930. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.2021158 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.2021158

Saba, F. (2016). Theories of distance education: Why they matter. In Issues in Distance Education. New Directions for Higher Education, 2016(173). https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20176 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/he.20176

Schon, D. (1984). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.

Schon, D. (1991). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think and act. Avebury.

Serbati, A., Aquario, D., Da Re, L., Paccagnella, O., & Felisatti, E. (2020). Exploring good teaching practices and needs for improvement: Implications for staff development. Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal), 21, 43-64. https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2020-021-serb DOI: https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2020-021-serb

Visser, R., &. Flynn, A.B. (2018). What are students’ learning and experiences in an online learning tool designed for cognitive and metacognitive skill development? Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 11. https://doi.org/10.22329/celt.v11i0.5039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22329/celt.v11i0.5039

Werth, E., & Williams, K. (2022). The why of open pedagogy: A value-first conceptualization for enhancing instructor praxis. Smart Learning Environments, 9(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00191-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00191-0

Zuba, Prokepetz, R. (2022). ePortfolio pedagogy: Stimulating a shift in mindset. The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 2(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2022.2.1.27 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2022.2.1.27

Downloads

Published

2023-11-23

How to Cite

Walsh, P., Ives, C., & Perry, B. (2023). Exploring our Open Educational Practices in Support of Excellence in Graduate Education: A Collaborative Autoethnography. The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal, 3(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.18357/otessaj.2023.3.1.53

Issue

Section

Research Articles