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THE OER KNOWLEDGE CLOUD
A SURVEY AND REPOSITORY OF OER RESEARCH
The OER Knowledge Cloud is a curated database and repository to identify, collect, preserve and disseminate documents related to open educational resources. There are currently 2899 published records by 4916 authors from 1026 sources, with 1743 file archives.

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LATEST EDITORIAL NOTES

KILLED, NOT STARVED: DELIBERATE NEGLECT OF THE OERF A FAILURE OF INSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO OPEN EDUCATION
Dan Wilton · January 10, 2026

In December 2025, Te Pūkenga (New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology), the sole shareholder of the Open Education Resource Foundation (OERF), made the decision to disestablish the non-profit and end its services. The roles of the New Zealand UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources and the Open Source Technologist supporting Open Education at Otago Polytechnic were terminated.

Wayne Mackintosh describes in a detailed blog post how poor stewardship and neglect forced the self-funding OERF, responsible for several successful and award-winning initiatives including WikiEducator and the OERu, into technical insolvency. "The actions taken by the shareholder resulted in the Foundation no longer being able to continue operating as a self-funded entity, notwithstanding that it had done so for 14 years."

As a result, its services, including the open online courses hosted by the OERF, are expected to wind down by mid-2026, breaking long-standing commitments to the UNESCO OER Recommendation.

In a related post, Paul Bacsich provides a conversation with ChatGPT about the factors leading to the closure of the ...


DIAMOND DREAMS, UNEQUAL REALITIES: THE PROMISE AND PITFALLS OF NO-APC OPEN ACCESS
Dan Wilton · October 23, 2025
Maryam Sayab, Director of Communications at the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE), has written a blog post on the promises and pitfalls of publishing as a Diamond OA journal, launching a critical conversation for Open Access Week. She argues that:

"... the scholarly community risks embracing a 'utopian ideal' of free publishing without grappling with the structural realities that make it viable.... The result is a paradox: in regions where the promise of diamond OA is most urgently needed to break down paywalls and amplify underrepresented scholarship, the conditions for sustaining it are least available."

She asks, "... not how many journals are diamond, but how many can endure, and what we, as a global community, are willing to do to ensure they do."

Sayab's full blog post and accompanying discussion are available here.

International Open Access Week, Who Owns Our Knowledge, runs from October 20 to 26, 2025.
...

DECREE ON THE DEVELOPMENT, USE, AND MANAGEMENT OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: VIETNAM
Dan Wilton · August 28, 2025

The Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has issued a Decree on the development, use, and management of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education in Vietnam. An unofficial English translation (for academic and reference purposes only) is now available on the OER Knowledge Cloud.

From Article 1:

This Decree regulates the development, evaluation, publication, sharing, use, and management of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education in Vietnam. It establishes policies, mechanisms, and technical standards to ensure the quality of materials, openness, fair and long-term access, and effective use across the higher education system.
...

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RECENT RECORDS

Beyond Open Access: Open Educational Resources for Legal Clarity, Sustainability, and Digital Sovereignty in European University Alliances
Schön, Sandra; Ebner, Martin
Open educational resources (OER) are widely recognized for improving access to education and enabling the sharing of knowledge. However, in the context of European university alliances such as Unite!, OER offer ...
Posted February 10, 2026

Effects of Accountability Interventions on Environmental Educators' Engagement in MOOCs
Li, Yue; Kizilcec, Rene; Cho, Ji Yong; Krasny, Marianne
Many participants in online courses struggle to remain engaged and complete the course, often due to a lack of perceived accountability. This study experimentally tested the effects of accountability interventions ...
Posted February 10, 2026

Sustaining the unsustainable? A historical and typological analysis of OER repository longevity
Siren, Anni; Bekirsky, Liam
Educational Resource repositories are a common tool used by institutions and organizations – public and private – to provide spaces to gather and access resources. We conducted a historical review of 152 OER ...
Posted February 10, 2026

Managerial Strategy for the Utilization of Open Educational Resources (OER) in Inclusive Learning at SMPLB Negeri Sorong City
Thamrin, Putri Aulia; Fatmasari; Hartinah
Limited resources and learning facilities remain a major challenge in the implementation of inclusive education, especially in special schools located in areas with limited institutional support. In this context, Open ...
Posted February 10, 2026

Reflections on the closure of the OER Foundation and the implications for OER policies: A conversation with ChatGPT
Bacsish, Paul
Paul: What has gone wrong with the OER Foundation in recent years? ChatGPT: Here’s a clear picture of what has actually gone wrong or shifted with the OER Foundation, especially surfaced in recent weeks and ...
Posted January 10, 2026

Killed, Not Starved: Deliberate Neglect of the OERF a Failure of Institutional Duty to Open Education
Mackintosh, Wayne
The roles of New Zealand’s UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources (OER) and the Open Source Technologist supporting Open Education at Otago Polytechnic were terminated on 19 December 2025 following the decision to ...
Posted January 10, 2026

Leveraging Open Educational Resources to Foster Equity in Education: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Directions
Lourenço, Francisca Rocha; Oliveira, Rita; Tymoshchuk, Oksana
Currently, the rapid growth and development of Open Educational Resources (OER), coupled with advancements in educational technology, offers the opportunity to improve access to and transfer of knowledge and ...
Posted January 5, 2026