The Next Generation Learning Challenge has provided a call to action for those involved in Open Educational Resources to meet the needs of the US education system. One of the challenges is to deploy open core courseware to address the retention and completion issues in community colleges. In the Open Learning: Bridge to Success (B2S) initiative The Open University working in partnership with MIT, Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) and University of Maryland University College (UMUC) will develop open bridging modules to help learners having problems in coping with credit bearing courses. Modules focussed on learning to learn and understanding mathematics will be released as complete open educational resource packages from The Open University’s existing successful programme of entry-level (pre-degree) “Openings” modules. The Open University has an established open presence through its OpenLearn open content site which offers a wide range of units, and the courses will be developed in the open to benefit not only students in the partner institutions but any learners who wish to use them.

The project will run its first pilots with Community College students from September and this presentation focuses on the early phase of the project including: release of the initial materials, augmentation with other OER, design of the research methodology and early lessons from working together as partners. Already working in the open is changing how we think about the provision of content and the instruction of practical experiences alongside meeting curriculum needs. We anticipate presenting the design requirements and how they have been met through open provision, reflections from those involved in the projects, the first feedback from students at the pilot colleges, and the indications from the additional users in the open.