Welsh universities commit to upload lectures and research online

Universities in Wales have agreed to upload lectures and research to the internet in the future so they can be freely accessed around the world.

It means students and teachers in poorer nations will be able to use expensive research work carried out by academics here.

Universities say it will put them at the forefront of a digital education revolution.

Student leaders said the move would create a wider community of learning.

The announcement marks the intention to develop a “clear working plan” to bring it about. This will include creating a central point of access for the information with a lot of universities already publishing material on their own websites.

Prof Colin Riordan, chair of Higher Education Wales (HEW) which represents the interests of higher education institutions, said: “It gives me great satisfaction to sign today’s open education declaration of intent and, in so doing, place Wales as one of the first – if not the first – national higher education sectors in the world to declare itself an open education nation.

“Increasing the share of knowledge is a responsibility that we must embrace and we firmly believe that we’re fulfilling this obligation by embedding open education practice across the Welsh higher education sector by our intent and our daily deeds.”

Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-24154504