Forging new pathways of research and innovation in open and distance learning

Credit, Trust and Open Education
Katherine Sutherland
It is fascinating to note here that the students are made responsible for the devaluing of
credits—credits over which they actually have no control in terms of quality assurance. The
professors are somehow victims in this scenario, in which students are reduced to demanding,
entitled consumers. Yet surely it is not students but the academy that must be in a position of
trust in assuring the value of the credit.
Defining trust
The monetization of the credit system links to the definition of trust a form of monetary
assurance. In English, trust may be defined as follows: “The confidence reposed in a person in
whom the legal ownership of property is vested to hold or use for the benefit of another;
hence, an estate committed to the charge of trustees; also transf. a trustee; a body of persons
appointed as trustees.” (OED)
One might argue in this context that academics and institutions act as trustees of the credits,
credentials and, ultimately, the educations of their students—which are very valuable, after all.
As such, the quality of these things must be assured by the trustees to the extent that they do
not lose value in the open market.
It is fair to say that open education credits (or trusts) are the most vulnerable to the
vicissitudes of the open market.
Another question emerges here: how might the value of the investment by a student in an
open education be assured in the open market?
Again, this is a matter of trust.
In an interesting circularity of meaning (or a semiotic circularity), trust is defined by the
meaning of credit, much as credit above was defined by trust. The OED definition of trust in
English from about 1200 is “Confidence in or reliance on some quality or attribute of a person
or thing, or the truth of a statement.” This recalls the definition of credit from 1542: “Belief,
credence, faith, trust. To give credit to: to believe, put faith in, credit.”
The question emerging here is: How can trust and quality be assured with regard to open
education credits when the very definition of credit is trust… and vice versa?
Trust and credit in an open education context
More specifically, this project will explore the questions above in an open education context,
asking how, in the context of an open credit system, we might accommodate the ongoing
digital transformation of the academy whilst assuring a “gold standard” of trust?
In DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education,
Anya Kamenetz (2010) explores concepts like:
• copy-left;
• open;
Reaching from the roots – 9 th EDEN Research Workshop Proceedings, 2016, Oldenburg 321
ISBN 978-615-5511-12-7