Data informing the protocol was collected from four key sources: an online survey distributed to stakeholders across the higher education sector in Australia; interviews with key participants; analysis of the online publically available Intellectual Property policies of Australian universities; and a OER National Symposium held in Sydney which gathered insights and feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders across the higher education sector. The Feasibility Protocol prompts questions on four aspects visually illustrated in Figure 1. These aspects are: ? The Opportunities involved with the adoption of OER; ? Factors related to the Challenges associated with the adoption of OER; ? Strategic Directions that need to be considered for an effective adoption of OER; and ? Policy Recommendations for higher education institutions in Australia With the exception of Policy Recommendations, the aspects of the protocol are subdivided into three levels: the first level is focused on the higher education sector, the second level is related to organisational issues and the third concentrates on individual levels, including staff and students within educational organisations. The Policy Recommendations focus on organisational, project and individual levels. We believe that the Feasibility Protocol is a valuable instrument that could encourage and facilitate further adoption of OER and OEP, not only in higher and distance learning institutions in Australia, but also worldwide.
