Introduction

To make our education future-proof, HAN is implementing the ambitious project “Aanpak Digitale Leermaterialen” (ADL). In this project, HAN embraces the open sharing of educational resources developed by HAN employees and the use of open educational resources shared by people outside HAN. In this way, we ensure that there is easier access to information and educational resources. This is the starting point for the “HAN Vision on digital learning materials“.

Stimulate

The HAN vision on digital learning materials describes four main activities (action perspectives) that are necessary to achieve the ambition that HAN has in the field of digital and open educational resources. One of these main activities is “Stimulate”. This concerns both stimulating the theme of digital educational resources at HAN and motivating HAN employees to get started with digital educational resources in their education. In order to further elaborate on the main activity “stimulate”, we have started working on a report on recognizing, rewarding and incentivizing employees in the field of digital and open learning materials. In this blog we will summarize the resultst of this (dutch) report.

Recognition, rewarding and incentivizing in general

Based on an initial literature analysis, there was actually little written about what exactly “recognizing, rewarding and incentivizing” entails and which aspects are important in this. We needed this “coat rack” before we could specifically look at recognition and rewarding in the field of digital and open educational resources. Developing this coat rack has led to a “model for recognition and appreciation”, reasoned from an educational goal that leads to an action and a result (see figure 1). Important elements that we have elaborated in this model are the importance of focusing on autonomous motivation and active involvement via intrinsic rewards, using extrinsic rewards for the benefit of intrinsic, being able to show results, and putting the circumstances in order so that they do not negatively influence autonomous motivation and involvement.

Figure 1: general recognition and reward model

Recognition, rewarding and incentivizing working with digital and open learning materials

We then used the general recognition, rewarding and incentivizing model to specify more specifically what helps to sustainably motivate (and therefore stimulate) employees/teachers to get started with digital open educational resources (OER). This resulted in a specific interpretation of the general model, focused on important elements in the field of OER. The model shows (see figure 2) which intrinsic rewards contribute to sustainable autonomous motivation and involvement in the field of OER, which extrinsic rewards can contribute to intrinsic motivation, what are the barriers with regard to OER in different contexts and in what way you can make results around OER visible at micro, meso and macro level.

Figure 2: recognition and reward model specific for working with OER

At the moment we are using the findings around recognizing, rewarding and incentivizing in our ADL project as background to specifically design activities, materials and processes (both centrally and within academies) that stimulates the working with OER and reduce potential barriers.

Want to know more?

Do you have any questions about the HAN-wide project “Aanpak digitale leermaterialen”? Please contact us via: aanpakdigitaleleermaterialen@han.nl. In addition, HAN has delivered a series of knowledge products in the context of the Change Process Approach to Digital Learning Materials, which can be found on HAN leren en werken met ICT.