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Open Cultural Heritage Resources for Education

Team: Prof Robin Shields (University of Bristol); Dr Ahmed Al-Imarah (University of Kufa), Dr Waad Ibraheem Khaeel Abad (University of Mosul

Duration: 1 November 2019–30 April 2021

The research investigated the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), such as Massive Online Open Courses, podcasts, and so on, to improve awareness of Iraq’s cultural heritage. The study looked at changes in staff attitudes towards online learning and competencies, including course design and content creation.  

The project trained eight Iraqi university experts in cultural heritage in the design of online courses and helped them to design and deliver a new OER. Using questionnaires and focus groups, it aimed to identify topics, outreach strategies, and learning design approaches that promote engagement with and completion of the OER. 

Taken together, the study of academic staff and OER learners provided an evidence base of how OER can be used to develop critical engagement with cultural heritage in Iraq.  It also created a cadre of skilled professionals and initial content in order to motivate future work on OER and open educational resources in Iraq.