Adopting OEP can lead to opportunities for collaborative learning through the affordances of Web 2.0 tools. In this context, open also refers to the learning environment where learner's set their own objectives rather than being restricted by those set externally (a closed environment).
Open educational practices can also provide the experience and tools to help bridge the gap between formal and informal learning, and potentially an open source curriculum or emergent curriculum.
Levels of Openness
The trajectory to Open Education Practices lies between the use of open pedagogical models and, resource use and creation.:
Low - teachers believe they know what learners have to learn. A focus on knowledge transfer
Medium - Predetermined Objectives (closed environment) but, using open pedagogical models and encourage dialogue and Problem-based learning.
High - Learning Objectives and pathways highly governed by learners.