The Networked Practitioner

New opportunities for sharing knowledge and engaging with others are transforming the practices of educators and learners. However, many of us use social media and open content in what Lawrence Lessig described as ‘read-only’ engagement.

The Networked Practitioner module at The Open University is project-based so offers you a larger than usual degree of control over what you produce in your assignments. It is therefore particularly suitable if you have previous experience of teaching and/or learning online that can provide a starting point for your focus in the project. It offers an opportunity to develop and improve existing ideas into publication, presentation or demonstration formats. You will discuss these in an online conference and engage with a module-wide and selected external audience under authentic conference conditions.

Vocational relevance

This module is designed for educational professionals and other practice-based professionals who want to develop their skills in networking, communicating and sharing. It promotes ways of developing and disseminating work through professional conference and publication routes linked with online and distance learning. The module aims to provide an authentic experience of how to develop as a networked practitioner both within and beyond the module.