OER and Sustainability Models
2.2 Use, Re-used or Produce an OER
3.1 Sustainable Models for OER
There are numerous initiatives in the context of Open Educational Resources, with different models of organization and operation. Wiley (2007b) illustrates this diversity, identifying three sustainable models of OER, based on criteria such as size, organization and content creation, among other services. Sustainability is also linked to funding models or with business models that an institution, a group or an individual adopt to adopt, support or manage OER. Table 4 presents the 3 main Sustainable Models for OER considered as study cases in the world that adopted different approaches and the main differences between them.
| Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 |
Course production goals | All courses offered by MIT | Many courses offered by USU | Many courses offered anywhere |
Control over courses produced | High degree of control | Small degree of control | Practically no control |
Cost per course produced | USD 10 000 | USD 5 000 | USD 0 |
Organisation size | Large | Medium | Small |
Table 4 - Models in use in OER initiatives (adapted Wiley, 2007b)
Case 1) MIT model:
Centralized responsibility of an organization (4.3 million / year), with a high degree of centralization and coordination in terms of organization and delivery of services, which work is developed mainly by paid employees under the project.
Case 2) the USU model
Hybrid (+ organization volunteer academic work) (127,000 / year) with a mix of centralization and decentralization, from the organization or the services, in which the work is distributed by paid staff, but also by several volunteers.
Case 3) the Rice model
Decentralized (collaborative, community) (very low value per course) almost entirely decentralized, whose services are also almost totally provided by volunteers.