In “Pragmatism vs. Idealism and the Identity Crisis of OER Advocacy,” Rajiv Sunil Jhangiani comments on the divide in the open education community between pragmatic and idealistic approaches to Open Educational Resources (OER). The pragmatists argue that OER should be widely adopted because of the tangible, financial benefits for students; the idealists argue that OER represent an opportunity for radical pedagogy. Jhangiani argues that, in fact, a hybrid approach is necessary. Divisiveness will not further the movement, to Jhangiani’s eyes; rather, open education advocates must present an argument that both acknowledges the significant cost benefit of OER and incorporates opportunities for more experimental learning.

Work cited

Jhangiani, Rajiv Sunil. 2017. “Pragmatism vs. Idealism and the Identity Crisis of OER Advocacy.” Open Praxis 9(2): 141–50. doi: 10.5944/openpraxis.9.2.569