Summary

This essay examines the ideological and rhetorical underpinnings of the OER movement in the context of the neoliberal university. At the same time, it addresses the problem of the vague meaning behind "open".

Almeida highlights that OER can support educators in reconsidering their practices and indeed increase access to educational resources, possibly they can even be used to address the roots of social inequalities in HE. However, the opposite is equally in the scope of the possibilities regarding OER.

Overall, this essay highlights the danger of OER and its connectivity to social inclusion being emptied of meaning or even turned into a threat to equality in Higher Education. It reminds the reader to clearly define the meaning of openness when operating with it.