Cross-border Content: Investigation into Sharing Curricula across Borders and the Opportunities for OER

The aim of this study was to make an inventory of the existing cases in formal education (school sector, vocational education and higher education) where a curriculum or syllabus is shared across borders (e.g. state, national, linguistic and cultural). Based on the analysis of the desk research and a case study, further considerations was given to the potential cross border sharing of curricula/syllabi could have for Open Educational Resources, either existing or prospective. The study was conducted in three parts. The first involved scoping and classifying cross-border syllabi/curricula initiatives and their drivers. This was followed by a detailed case study of the US Common Core State Standards Initiative and its impact on OER. These two parts are brought together in this final report and the research findings and they issues they raise are discussed. Finally, the report identifies potential areas for investigation to leverage synergies between cross-border syllabi/curricula and OER in the context of formal education in the EU. The report calls for visionary multi-stakeholder initiatives in the area of cross-border curricula and education that could offer viable collaboration on Open Educational Resources. This could benefit not only single Member States, but also create an outlook that, in the longer term, might form a pillar of the development of a European connected digital single market, for example for boosting digital skills and learning.