OPAL has thus far collected 58 case studies of OER initiatives and from these abstracted a set of associated Open Educational Practices. Open Educational
Practices are defined as the set of activities and support around the creation, use, and repurposing of Open Educational Resources.

This online event is structured into three weeks. Every week is introduced by an expert's statement and summarised at the end by a moderator. It started on Monday 31 May 2010.

In particular, OPAL seeks views from the community about the dimensions they have derived and also the OER case studies. An online space has been set up to facilitate this consultation process. Beginning 31 May, reactions were invited that are to be summarised by FR and mirrored back to community members.

The OPAL Initiative is a partnership among seven organizations, including the ICDE, UNESCO, the European Foundation for Quality, the Open University UK, Aalto University, and the Catholic University Portugal. It is led by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany and is partly funded by the European Commission.