11 exemplars: open education as social justice 2014-2017
The 11 exemplar cases were selected from a larger pool of studies identified as part of a 2014-2017 systematic review study. The systematic review sought to establish the extent that free open education programs including MOOCs enabled student equity and social inclusion. A total of 48 studies and reports were examined, representing diverse global programs reaching over 200,000 disadvantaged learners in both distance and blended learning settings. Many of these were staff and policy guides but 22 studies had been fully tested with students.
As preparatory work for a social justice focussed book chapter, the data set of 22 studies fully tested with students was re-analysed using a new (2018) social-justice aligned definition of Open Education.
Methodologically, this showed that it is possible to use the 2018 definition as a lens for research analysis. Practically, it clarified and allowed for the selection of 11 exemplars to be chosen as the focus for further writing and analysis. The cases with good outcomes that also showed two or more forms of social justice were selected as exemplars. This was undertaken to better explain the progress and redress of educational justice for regional, multi-lingual and female learners.
