A Look Back: The Value of Open Demonstrated During a Time of Crisis
In early 2020 the world experienced a public health pandemic. Globally, researchers frantically turned to data, research, and reports to better understand the novel coronavirus and find a vaccine. In many cases research existed behind paywalls making critical scientific data and research inaccessible or unaffordable. Members of the scientific community responded by sharing their pre-print publications and datasets online (often via Twitter). Individuals used such hashtags as #preprint, #openaccess, #openscience, #opendata, and #covid19 to share their research openly. Other examples of communities sharing research and data during this crisis include the VODAN Network (Virus Outbreak Datanetwork), ASAPbio, and the WHO’s global research on COVID-19 database.
As the impact of the pandemic grew, schools around the world from K-12 to colleges and universities closed their campuses. Institutions rushed to transition to remote learning and services in a matter of weeks. For students who previously relied on college and university libraries for access to physical copies of commercial textbooks (in collections or on course reserve), this access no longer was available. Within days of many institutions announcing their transition to online learning, commercial publishers and vendors aggressively marketed their resources and products to students and faculty as freely available for a limited-time (often with other hidden restrictions). Libraries responded by reaching out to faculty and students to connect them to freely available open educational resources or library-licensed content.
Although the urgency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, a lesson learned remains: Open Education offers access to knowledge during such times of crisis. We have no way of knowing when the next challenge to education may arise, be it another pandemic, a radical climate change event, or another threat to society. One international example of the development and implementation of free, open resources to support education that was a direct result of needs created by the pandemic is the Internet Free Education Resource Bank (IFERB). IFERB is a collection of 550+ project-based learning resources, games, and activities for exploratory and student-led learning that is universally accessible without the internet.
A transition to open educational resources and a commitment to making open the default for research and education provides students with access to online course materials which are always free and affordable.
Open education is not a short-term fix to a passing problem—it is a long-term solution to ensuring equitable, inclusive access to effective educational resources and learning opportunities. ~ Vézina & Green, 2020