The UOC is pioneering the first Twitter-based MOOC on open access

As part of Open Access Week, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya is using Twitter to run a free online course on open access, from 23 to 27 October. This micro-MOOC is a groundbreaking initiative also supported by the University of Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Pompeu Fabra University, University of Girona, University of Lleida, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Ramon Llull University, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, and Universitat Jaume I.

The micro-MOOC – which is particularly aimed at researchers, doctoral and master's degree students, as well as anyone else with an interest in this area – will begin each day at 12 noon on the Twitter account @moocmicro, with the hashtag #OAMOOC. By way of around 20 tweets over a half hour period each day, the idea is to explain the basic concepts and notions relating to open access.

The contents being covered include the benefits of open-access publishing, the corresponding legal framework, the editorial policies at journals, tools for managing, disseminating and preserving research data, and how open access has a clear impact on raising the profile of researchers' work. The course will be delivered in easy-to-understand language, and will develop participants' understanding with content including articles, images and videos.

The director of Library and Learning Resources, Ciro Llueca, explained that using Twitter as a teaching channel is an innovative way for the Library to familiarize researchers with open access.

The learning materials have been coordinated by the university libraries, and further collaboration has come from the Catalan University Service Consortium (CSUC), the European University Association (EUA), the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) and SPARC Europe.

Once the micro-MOOC is over, its contents shall remain available on Storify, with a link to this shared via the same Twitter account.