Open educational resources (OER) Edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders

Abstract

This paper contributes in establishing Open Educational Resources (OER)-based edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders. It restages the emergence of OER in higher education institutions (HEI) within educational entrepreneurship, hereafter edupreneurship. Then, it presents three analyses based on OER literature and environments. Finally, it introduces four edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders. First, it reviews the literature to identify and align existing OER business models to deduce a pattern linking OER provision, organizations’ investments and users. Second, it applies Osterwalder and Pigneur’s business canvas (Osterwalder and Pigneur 2010) to analyze value creation opportunities and activities within OER environments. Third, it examines OER environments to elicit the elements used for generating revenue streams. Consequently, four edupreneurship business models are provided to resolve some of the complexities found in OER environments and support stakeholders in deciding their ventures. The paper concludes that OER environments process unstable amalgamation of networks that continually changes to adapt to the complexity, multi-functioning and multi-processing of customers and providers’ motivations. OER projects disrupt the educational market worldwide. This is not due to the ÓER humanistic view of Openness as ‘free of charge’ and ‘for free use’ but to Openness being a premium business value that creates edupreneurship opportunities within the digital age.