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OpenUp project: halfway through and gaining momentum
The OpenUp project for educational resources has reached its halfway point. In an interview, project manager Merel Middelman shares how the initiative is progressing, what has been achieved so far, and what lies ahead.
Can you remind us what the OpenUp project is about?
OpenUp is a 1,5 year-long initiative launched in September 2024 to promote Open Education at WUR.
The goal is to help teachers share and reuse open digital learning materials more easily, and to build a culture of openness in education.
You can read more about the start of the project in this article.
What has the team achieved so far?
Quite a lot! We kicked off with an awareness campaign, which focused on sharing knowledge about Open Education and Open Educational Resources (OERs). You may have seen our GO OPEN posters and stickers around campus. We launched the campaign during Open Education Week with a lively panel discussion at Impulse. Here’s a recap of that event.
What else has been done besides the campaign?
At WUR’s Education Design Festival, we organised a hands-on session about reusing and sharing Open Educational Resources. The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) posted this recap on Linkedin. Next to that, we’ve been working on professionalising the support staff at the TLC and the Library via several inspiration and training sessions.
What’s planned for the second half of the year?
We want to inspire more people to join the movement of Open Education, so expect to see teachers sharing their experiences with OERs soon as part of the GO OPEN campaign. We’ll also develop a training module on Open Education to professionalise teachers. This will be integrated into the TLC’s teacher training programme and aligned with WUR’s new Academic Framework, which now recognises and acknowledges efforts in open education.
Are there links to other projects?
Definitely. OpenUp is closely connected to other exciting initiatives at WUR. For example, the Boost Your Collection subsidies where teachers are supported in opening up their educational materials. We’re also aligned with the GetConnected project, that will implement the transition from WUR’s Library for Learning (L4L) to SURF Sharekit, a national infrastructure for sharing educational resources. This transition will make WUR’s materials findable for a broader community and better integrated with national platforms like edusources.
Final thoughts?
There’s a lot happening on multiple fronts, and I'm happy to see so many efforts coming together to accelerate Open Education at WUR. OpenUp is just one piece of a much larger puzzle—and we’re proud to be part of it.
OpenUp your educational materials
Are you inspired to open up your own education? Then visit the website for Open Education at WUR and join the movement! You can also contact the Open Science & Education team at openscience.education@wur.nl for guidance and support. Please note that in July, project manager Merel Middelman will hand over her role to Lara Zeper, expert in Open Education and Copyright, as Merel goes on maternity leave.