OER and use of Open Data to develop Transversal and Citizenship skills

To provide an innovative framework for the use of Open Data as Open Educational Resources for developing scientific and citizenship skills

In a global and multicultural society, people need understand the political processes, the socio-economical climate, to be able to relate with the problems of the society, to be capable to critically understand and information and assess the media.

In our societies, the educational systems need to develop critical thinking skills to educate active citizens to engage and participate democratic discussions, in a tolerant, respectful, creative and knowledgeable manner by learning to construct knowledge by critically analysing information from various sources and formats, including data.

Even if Open Data, defined by Open Knowledge International (2013)[1] as “data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone – subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike” it is not traditionally considered as Open Educational Resources (OER), we believe that being capable of analysing and interpreting data is increasingly important and can be understood as key to the development of transversal skills, which are defined by UNESCO (2015)[2] as “critical and innovative thinking, inter-personal skills; intra-personal skills, and global citizenship”(p.4).

If one of our goals as educators is to develop these transversal skills in students, towards enabling them to function as citizens, to actively participate in the discourse and debates of society, to think critically, to be tolerant, to understand diversity, understand migratory flows, to support equality and to respect and promote human rights, then we propose that Open Data can be a key enabler to achieve this targets in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [3] to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning (G4); Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (G5); Reduce inequality within and among countries (G10); Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (G13) and Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies (G16).

Open Data is produced and used at various levels in research, governance, policymaking and civil society. In educational and academic contexts, Open Data can be used as an Open Educational Resource (OER) to help support the engagement of students and researchers in analysing and collaborating towards finding solutions for contemporary real-world problems, chiefly by embedding Open Data and Open Science principles in research-based, scenario-led activities. In this way, students can experience working with the same raw materials scientists and policy-makers use, but also, learn effective fact-checking abilities to critically interact with the media to promote inclusion, social justice, human rights and equality.

[1] OKI (2013): Open Data Handbook http://opendatahandbook.org/guide/en/what-is-open-data/

[2] UNESCO. (2015). Transversal competencies in education Policy and Practice. (S. Strandberg, Ed.). Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002319/231907E.pdf

[3] United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/