Survey and reflection of open education policies

Abstract

The world is becoming open with the use of digital technology and internet. Open Education (OE) not only provides learning opportunities for those who do not have access to educational resources and practices, but also provides high-quality resources for those who want to achieve higher goals. Policies are one of the many strategies to quicken the development of OE for improving educational equity and quality. This chapter reviews the policies for OE, and discusses the policies in four levels: the overall policies for OE, policies for open standards, specific policies for constructing Open Education Resources (OERs), and OE policies embedded in other education strategic plans. Policies from different countries and regions are introduced and analyzed in these four levels. Finally, the chapter provides various recommendations for making country-level OE policies.