open washing

English

Noun

open washing (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of openwashing
   • 2016, Ken Udas, Helen Partridge, Adrian Stagg, “Open Education Pratice at the University of Southern Queensland”, in Patrick Blessinger, TJ Bliss, editors, Open Education: International Perspectives in Higher Education:

     As a university we have for the most part stayed away from organizations and efforts that we perceive as “fauxpen” or engaging in “open washing”.

   • 2017, Gill Hamilton, Fred Saunderson, Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage, page 159:

     Many cultural institutions making the move towards open practice struggle with the challenges of securing high-level 'buy-in' to support such initiatives; this case study also considers the institutional risks of 'open washing' and neglecting staff development in this area.

   • 2020, Ke Zhang, Curtis J. Bonk, Thomas C. Reeves, Thomas H. Reynolds, MOOCs and Open Education in the Global South:

     However, as with the environmentalism movement and the phenomenon of greenwashing, we are increasingly witnessing something that has been referred to as "open washing" (Openwashing, n.d.) or sometimes "faux-pen" (Searls, 2009). In simple terms, open washing involves a company using the language of open education to dress up what is otherwise a traditional, proprietary practice.

Verb

open washing

1. present participle and gerund of open wash