Here, we summarise some of the facilitating and inhibiting factors for the reuse of open content.
In the South-Mediterranean region, universities see OER as an opportunity to respond to the problems of massification of higher education, geographic dispersion and accessibility in rural settings. For instance, Cadi Ayyad University (in Marrakech) is one of the largest in Morocco and developed a system of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an alternative to teaching in saturated classrooms (Idrissi Jouicha, Bouazaze, Ai Si Ahmad & Berrada, 2016). Al Akhawayn University is located in Ifrane (Morocco), in the middle of the Atlas Mountains. It covers an eminently rural area in which students perform community-volunteering services, while they are still connected with teaching activities from small villages of difficult accessibility. Ibn Zhor University (in Agadir) is the educational institution of reference in the south of Morocco, and covers a very large area where digital resources allow long-distance training and monitoring.
One of the elements that seems to influence the readiness to adopt OER is the degree of internationalisation. Among the most receptive institutions are business schools and universities with a hybrid organisational culture, such as German-Jordan University or The American University in Cairo. In the same way, the participation in joint and dual degrees seems to predispose positively to the incorporation of innovations: The Princess Sumaya University for Technology (in Jordan) has had some experiences in this regard. Similarly, in Palestine the concentration of international cooperation projects has generated competencies that facilitate the adoption of innovations.
Make an analysis of the inhibitors and facilitators to adoption of OER at your university. For example, suppose that lecturers at your university want to use educational materials from MIT, Coursera or Edraak, and incorporate them into their teaching. Fill in the following table with examples illustrating the context at your institution. Optionally, write a brief qualitative report informing of strategies to localise the educational materials.
Dimensions Inhibitors Opportunities
Technological equipment
Attitudes towards Open Education
Digital competences (knowledge and skills)
Institutional factors
Language and local relevance
Cultural characteristics