Reflections on the closure of the OER Foundation and the implications for OER policies worldwide

Posted on by Paul Bacsich

The recent announcement of the impending closure of the OER Foundation (based in Otago in New Zealand) has drawn attention again to the sustainability (or not) of major OER initiatives and the longevity of OER policies. Acting on this we decided to do one of our rapid AI-assisted reviews of the current state of the OER domain. The results were challenging. For speed, this review initially started with a series of seven questions put to ChatGPT (version 5.2) - which we have used a lot over the last three years for policy anal

“Honey, I tringed your assignments”

Posted on by Paul Bacsich
middle-aged Latina elf woman with Tex-Mex styling - featuring warm brown skin, dark hair with gray streaks, laugh lines showing her maturity, and beautiful southwestern-inspired clothing with turquoise jewelry and colorful embroidered details. She has pointed elf ears and the magical sparkles as she effortlessly produces her assignment on Russian hybrid warfare using AI assistance.

The discussion emphasizes the rising use of AI tools like ChatGPT among students to complete assignments, prompting universities to update academic integrity guidelines, albeit slowly. The concept of "tring" is introduced, highlighting how AI can reduce assignment effort significantly. Detection methods are limited, and reassessing assignment processes is crucial to prevent issues with academic standards.