Engaging with the Commons: A vision for UCT

20 October 2009  The OER UCT project run from the Centre for Educational Technology in collaboration with Creative Commons South Africa recently hosted a high-level workshop on institutional engagement with alternative licensing and open educational resources. The event – attended by representatives from the UCT’s Research Office, UCT Libraries, Research Contracts and Intellectual Property Services, and other academics active in the area of OER – was addressed by Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), Prof. Daniel Visser, who described the OER UCT initiative as ‘one of the most exciting things happening at UCT’.

Other presenters in the three-hour workshop included Prof. Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams, who provided an overview of the ideological, technological, financial and legal aspects of OER, and Tobias Schonwetter and Andrew Rens of Creative Commons South Africa. Schonwetter provided a practical overview of the CC licensing process, while Rens engaged with the history and place of institutions in influencing access to intellectual property.

The level of engagement and agreement around the need to participate in rapidly evolving electronic research and teaching environments exemplified UCT’s commitment to remaining a leading presence in the global knowledge economy.

The OER UCT project thanks everyone who attended and looks forward to continued contact and discussion around open sharing of research and teaching resources at UCT.

Click this link to download Prof. Hodgkinson-Williams presentation, On Common Ground.

Click this link to download a pdf of Tobias Schonwetter’s Creative Commons / Legal presentation.