Abstract:

Quality education, one of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, is essential for promoting societal development towards a more equitable and fairer world (United Nations, 2015). Achieving this goal depends on advancements in educational research and practice. In this context, Open Science principles play a crucial role by increasing the accessibility and impact of educational research, making it widely available and beneficial for all (Umbach, 2024).

Aligned with these principles, a Portuguese research unit in the field of Education claims to be strongly committed to Open Science. One initiative framed in these principles is a programmatic FCT-funded project, the Open Educational Smart Campus (OESC), which connects research with the wider society, promoting scientific culture (Laranjeiro, 2022). The project’s goal is to provide an innovative and collaborative learning environment in higher education through research-based educational programs and Open Educational Resources (OER). For that aim, an online platform was developed to ensure free access of OER, increasing the visibility of educational research and fostering synergies among stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, educators, mass media, and the wide public).

The OESC online platform incorporates three areas:
a) the Annotated Multimedia Open Library (AMOL), which aggregates OER under FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles;
b) the Virtual Campus, which facilitates interaction between platform users in a social media format, promoting an online community; and
c) the Education Factory, which supports open e-learning programs and courses.

Congregating these three features, the OESC platform aims to foster research sustainability, providing a dynamic environment for users to interact, share resources, develop courses, and collaborate effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the impact of the OESC platform on its target public.

In this context, this study aims to analyse the perceptions of the OESC platform authors regarding its perceived value, effectiveness of use, and potential for improvement through a qualitative research methodology. To this end, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with users of the OESC platform, registered as authors, and with those involved in its development process. The semi-structured interviews facilitate an in-depth exploration of the participants' experiences and suggestions regarding the OESC platform. The data is submitted to thematic analysis in order to identify tendencies in each analysis dimension - perceived value, effective use, and potential for improvement - with a particular focus on enhancing the authors’ experience and expanding the capabilities of the platform.

Findings from this research will provide valuable insights into the potential of online platforms that aggregate OER, user interactions, and educational programs to provide inclusive, collaborative, and scalable learning environments. These environments aim to meet the evolving needs of students, teachers, and researchers.

In sum, this study aims to expand the OESC's capacity to ensure effective use by its authors, thereby aggregating valuable resources for educational stakeholders. This will facilitate broader utilization, enhance the sustainability of educational research, and contribute to advancing quality digital education.

Acknowledgement: This work was made possible with financial support from National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., as part of projects UIDB/00194/2020, UIDP/00194/2020 and the research grant with reference BI/UI57/8828/.

Keywords:

Open Science, Open Educational Resources, Higher Education, Digital Learning Platforms.