The 6^th International Meeting of OERu Partners will focus on the implementation of the OERu 1st year of study.

This page provides an overview of the information that OERu partner institutions need to determine whether they are in a position to:

1. Offer assessment services for transcript credit for selected OERu courses (survey to be distributed)
2. Recognise transfer credit for selected courses (survey to be distributed).

Partners providing assessment services and/or recognition of transfer credit for the OERu 1st year of study will be listed on the oeru.org website.

Exit qualifications for the OERu 1st year of study

The OERu has confirmed two exit qualifications for the 1st year of study:

• Certificate of General Studies, Thompson Rivers University.
• Certificate of Higher Education in Business (OERu), University of the Highlands and Islands.

Clarifying the OERu micro-course model

As an international network, the OERu must ensure transnational credit transfer. However, the course sizes that make up a year of study differ across international jurisdictions. The international standard for one year of full-time study is approximately 1200 notional learning hours. The difference in course sizes typically found in different regions is illustrated in the table below:

To achieve a standard transfer “currency” the OERu has adopted a modular micro-course format. Each micro-course equates to 40 notional hours of learning effort. Therefore, in North America 3 micro-courses are typically required to make up a standard 3-credit course, whereas in Australia, 4 micro-courses must be completed to qualify for transcript credit for the relevant course.

The assessing OERu partner can decided to offer one assessment for the set of associated micro-courses, or alternatively provide an assessment for each micro-course. In the OERu model, learners must successfully complete 30 micro-courses for an equivalent full year of study.

The decision to implement micro-courses has enabled the OERu to partner with Edubits to offer micro-credentials for selected courses with pathways to formal academic credit.

OERu minimum viable product courses

The OERu is planning to launch the equivalent of 72 micro-courses (2,880 notional hours or 2.4 FTE years of study) as minimum viable product for the OERu 1st year of study. 80% of the open online courses have been completed (or are nearing completion) in preparation for a phased launch of the OERu 1st year of study.

Key points

Key points before reading the course table below:

• Completed means that all the course materials have been published on the OERu course site. Note that instructions for the assessments, fees for assessment services etc. will be updated before the courses go live.
• Course sites: The micro-course sites column provides links to the published course materials on the course.oeru.org site. At the bottom of each page on the course site there is a “Content” link to the source materials on WikiEducator. As an open project, course content is developed openly and we adopt the open source traditions of releasing early and frequently. Bear in mind that courses that are not marked “completed” are under active development. Expect frequent changes.
• Course registration: The course registration feature on many of the OERu course sites has not been activated. A site accepting registrations will show a head graphic () in the main site navigation. The OERu will not activate the registration feature until: transcript credit arrangements have been confirmed with the assessing partners, credit transfer agreements have been signed, and a phased launch sequence of courses for the 1st year of study has been agreed by the active partners.
• Course specification / test description: Links to course specification, and /or test descriptions are provided to assist partners in determining credit transfer options.
• Residency requirements: Thompson Rivers University will have completed the two courses required to meet the residency requirements for the Certificate of General Studies. The Certificate of Higher Education in Business has been validated by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), subject to implementing a number of requirements. The UHI qualification has a residency requirement of three “modules” (i.e. 200 notional learning hours per module) that must be assessed locally by the University. UHI will assemble these courses. Once the final validation conditions have been met, the award can be advertised and learners can commence their studies with the completed OERu open course options.
• Micro-credentials: OERu micro-courses that have approved micro-credentials are indicated in the table below using the “Edubits” logo. These courses will offer digital certificates for assessed learning, and successful completion of the set of micro-courses will qualify for transcript credit for the full course.

Course list

Completion status last updated on 09 August 2017.

Course	Assessing Institution	Published micro-courses
Creating sustainable futures (Complete)	OP	Inspiring challenge of sustainable development Designing the transition to a living future Strategic planning for success Taking action and choosing priorities Course specification
English for academic writing (Complete)	TESU	The process of writing Writing for academic purposes Making your arguments more credible Revising and polishing your writing TECEP® Test description
Regional relations in the Asia and Pacific (Complete)	USQ	Introduction to regional relations in Asia and the Pacific Understanding culture in Asia and the Pacific Regional economics in Asia and the Pacific Tourism in Asia and the Pacific Course specification
World history in the modern era (Complete)	TESU	World history: The early modern period World history: Imperialism and war World history: World War II to the present Course specification
Introduction to project management (Complete)	OP	Role of the project manager Initiating a project Planning a project Executing and closing a project Course specification
Principles of management (Complete)	TESU / CLEP OP	Introduction to management Leading and managing people Planning and managing organisations Course specification
Indigenous Australia (Complete)	CSU	The dreaming and relationships to country Indigenous Australian histories Human rights and indigenous Australian peoples Contemporary realities for indigenous Australians Course specification
Corporate communication (Complete)	TESU	Writing for business success Creating effective business presentations Intercultural communication, teamwork and leadership Course specification
Principles of marketing (Complete)	TESU / CLEP OP	Core foundations of successful marketing Market research and customer insights Launching products and generating market demand Course specification
Art appreciation and techniques (Complete)	TRU	Artistic process and visual language Artistic media and architecture Art in our world and beyond TBC
Introduction to entrepreneurship (Complete)	TESU / OP	Becoming an entrepreneur Planning a business startup Financing and managing a business startup Course specification
Learning in a digital age (90%)	OP	Digital literacies for online learning Digital citizenship Open education, copyright and open licensing in a digital world Critical media literacies and associated digital skills Course specification
Introduction to research methods in Psychology (80%)	TRU	Micro-course structure TBD
Critical reasoning (Complete)	TESU	Course site
Principles of macroeconomcis (80%)	AU / CLEP OP	Introduction to principles of macroeconomics Aggregate activity and demand Monetary policy Course specification
Principles of microeconomics (75%)	AU / CLEP OP	Introduction to principles of microeconomics Production and consumption Market structures Course specification
Introduction to Psychology (60%)	KPU	Foundations of Psychological Science Thinking, learning, and memory Evolution, perception, and consciousness Course specification
Introduction to Business	UHI	Micro-course structure TBD.
Introduction to customer centred business	UHI	Micro-course structure TBD.
Introduction to operations management	UHI	Micro-course structure TBD.