What is an Open University?
It is:
one in which
1. The research the university produces is open access.
2. The course materials are open educational resources.
3. The university embraces free software and open standards.
4. If the university holds patents, it readily licenses them for free software, essential medicines, and the public good.
5. The university network reflects the open nature of the internet.
where "university" includes all parts of the community: students, faculty, administration.
The Wheeler Declaration.