In this section we cover the theoretical underpinnings of open pedagogy as an approach to education, a few applied examples at different scales, and the case for open pedagogy in terms of benefits and impact. First, for our purposes, Open Pedagogy is defined as: an approach to teaching that (a) emphasizes information access as fundamental to learning and (b) emphasizes agency as an important way to maximize individual learning with (c) the goal of also broadening information access for others.

Pedagogical rationale

Derosa & Jhangiani identify the following philosophical principles informing open pedagogy: 

"First, we want to recognize that Open Pedagogy shares common investments with many other historical and contemporary schools of pedagogy. For example, constructivist pedagogy, connected learning, and critical digital pedagogy are all recognizable pedagogical strands that overlap with Open Pedagogy. From constructivist pedagogy, particularly as it emerged from John Dewey and, in terms of its relationship to technology, from Seymour Papert, we recognize a critique of industrial and automated models for learning, a valuing of experiential and learner-centered inquiry, and a democratizing vision for the educational process. From connected learning, especially as it coheres in work supported by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub, we recognize a hope that human connections facilitated by technologies can help learners engage more fully with the knowledge and ideas that shape our world. And from critical digital pedagogy, as developed by Digital Humanities-influenced thinkers at Digital Pedagogy Lab out of educational philosophy espoused by scholars such as Paulo Freire and bell hooks, we recognize a commitment to diversity, collaboration, and structural critique of both educational systems and the technologies that permeate them."

Examples of open pedagogy in action

In practice, open pedagogy is built around the use of open educational resources (OERs) and renewable assignments, both of which are detailed in their own pages in this module. Here are a few introductory examples of open interventions to illustrate how the pedagogical rationale plays out in the classroom.