Open Educational Practices in Blended Learning: Teacher Education Initiatives at OUSL

This chapter explores how planning, design, development, and implementation of meaningful blended learning experiences can promote open educational practices (OEP) among practitioners and influence their thinking and practices. Taking a reflective practitioner case study approach, it presents a critical enquiry of a series of OEP initiatives with blended learning related to teacher education implemented at the Open University of Sri Lanka, over two decades. These interventions were carefully designed to provide context-driven and process-oriented learning experiences for practitioners. The outcomes of the initiatives reveal several good practices and insights related to capacity development, shifting mindsets, community building, reflective practice, sharing culture, and scaling up. Strategic design of meaningful capacity enhancement interventions that involve innovative pedagogical and technological approaches will facilitate shifting practitioners’ thinking and practice towards openness.