In this paper, I presented a case study on using Open Data for learning in Higher Education. The educational problem I attempted to explore could be connected to the new sets of skills required to participate in a society were not only the digital component, but also the digital data generated and available through several ways are shaping the social fabric. As educational researcher committed with Open Education and interested on new social phenomena emerging in a digital society, my initial motivation was connected to understand whether Open Data can be adopted for learning purposes, triggering forms of reflection and awareness on data-driven processes and hence on own data literacy. However, this type of endeavour led me to focus my research questions in the context of intervention. As teacher at the undergraduate level, I wondered which are the current levels of data literacy in undergraduate students and to which extent data literacy is needed as part of emerging professional profiles. Moreover, as educator committed with training a new generation of educators, my interest went on the direction of discussing with the same students how important Open Data, and the overall data literacy could become for their professionalism. These issues led me to understand the macro-meso-micro structure of the educational problem ahead: while understanding how and if Open Data as available, authentic and rich resources could be placed at the macro-level of learning in digital contexts, the expected outcomes for undergraduate students and the context of higher education; and the specific problem of Open Data for educators, belong to the meso and micro-level. The results in this case study showed that while Open Data offers exceptional opportunities to the society, their only presence may not trigger virtuous practices immediately. At the macro-level, the action taking implies forms of reflection on formal, informal and non-formal learning with Open Data. At the meso-level, it seems that every group and educational level, from the whole citizenship and workers, to school and university students require tools to scaffold their experience with Open Data. Therefore, at the micro-level, to promote data literacy it is necessary to design for learning with Open Data, and to search for the appropriate methods to support the students in their journey from no competence or very basic data literacy levels, to more advanced stages. Moreover, it is important for the students (and for all lifelong learners in general) to become aware and to discuss which are their own expectations of data literacy, that is to say, to which extent do they feel necessary to understand data and particularly Open Data. In this regard, more empirical research, beyond the existing frameworks is necessary. The directions for research are doubtlessly connected to action research (more educational experiences systematized and shared), but also to the validation of schemes of educational practice through theoretical reflection or hypothesis testing. Moreover, ethnographies of use could be important to understand the forms of appropriation and the difficulties that hinder it. All in all, a long (but exciting) way to go.
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