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The aim of the C-SAP project has been to develop a model of release, discovery and reuse of Open Educational Resources which can be “cascaded”, that is, taken up and incorporated into new contexts by academics wishing to engage with Open Educational Resources. Through development of the C-SAP model (or a “cascade framework”) this project seeks to develop a critical understanding of OERs where users can examine their own academic practice and subsequently articulate a rationale for using OERs, with use interpreted quite broadly in terms of identifying, locating, releasing and embedding Open Educational Resources into curriculum.  The model offers a set of tools which will allow academics to reflect upon their own practice and examine conditions in which their teaching resources can be used/reused and shared, including but not limited to their institutional culture, technical skills, knowledge on how to find/(re)use OERs and their individual orientation towards pedagogical innovation.

The cascade framework emerged in the context of a  collaborative methodology embedded within the paradigm of communities of practice. Accordingly, the project team worked alongside project partners and supported them to develop their own understandings of the cascade framework rather than offer prescriptive templates or ready-made solutions. This way, the C-SAP cascade model focuses more on the “why” rather than the “how” of OERs; that is, it emphasises the broader context in which OERs are created and (re)used and any resulting issues and/or tensions rather than addressing solely the technical aspects of opening up teaching resources.