This document summarizes an OER Research Hub report on understanding the impact of open educational resources. It lists 11 hypotheses about how OER can improve student performance and satisfaction, widen participation in education, help at-risk learners, lead educators to reflect on their practice, and bring financial benefits. It also discusses how open licensing is important for educational reuse but that indicators of quality are the most important factor for learners selecting OERs. The document provides initial evidence to support some hypotheses, such as how OER have improved student mastery and pass rates in math courses.

1. OER Research Hub:
Understanding the impact of
open educational resources
Beatriz de los Arcos @celTatis
Patrick McAndrew, Martin Weller, Leigh-Ann Perryman, Rob Farrow,
Beck Pitt, Claire Walker & Simone Arthur
http://oerresearchhub.org
@OER_Hub

2. • Open Courseware Library
• CCCOER
• School of Open
• Bridge to Success
• Flipped classroom
• Gulf of Maine Research
Institute
• Connexions/Open
Learn
• TESS India
Higher
Education
Schools (K-
12)
Community
Colleges
Informal
learning

3. 11 HYPOTHESES:
a. OER improve student performance/satisfaction
b. Open licensing is important in educational reuse
c. OER widen participation in education
d. OER can help at-risk learners to finish their studies
e. OER use leads educators to reflect on their practice
f. OER adoption brings financial benefits for
students/institutions
g. Quality indicators are the most important factor for learners
when selecting OERs
h. Informal learners develop their own forms of study support
i. OER support informal learners in moving to formal study
j. OER use encourages institutions to change their policies
k. Informal assessments motivate learners using OER

4. OER improve student performance
and satisfaction
Open licensing is important in
educational reuse

5. OER improve student performance and
satisfaction: OpenLearn survey

6. OER improve student performance and
satisfaction: OpenLearn survey

7. OER improve student performance and
satisfaction: FLN & B2S
29.9 % in 2006 to 73.8 % in 2011 in
Math mastery
Succeed with Math: pass rate (A-C
grades) increase from 50.6% to 68.6%
Adoption of open textbooks ≠ change in student scores (Wiley
et al., 2012)

8. OER improve student performance and
satisfaction: OpenStax
June 2013:
• 120K downloads
• 17 million unique visitors
• 200 institutions formally adopting OpenStax
materials
• $3 million in savings to students

9. Does open licensing make a difference?
FLN Survey (n=117)
• 47% K12 teachers are familiar with CC logo
• 70% K12 teachers report that open licensing is important
when using OER for teaching
• 43% K12 teachers publish materials freely online
• 5% K12 teachers publish materials freely online with a CC
license

10. Does open licensing make a difference?
OpenLearn Survey (n=94)
• 16% educators report that open licensing is important
when searching for open educational content
• 15% educators report that open licensing allowing for
adaptation is important when searching for resources
• 86% have adapted resources for teaching

11. CC BY B. de los Arcos

12. Instructions to play OER-chery:
Blue School (K12)
Purple Further Education (College)
Orange Higher Education (University)
Green Informal Learning
Pink Other
1. Take a post-it for the
sector that you most
closely associate yourself
with:
Red Educator
Yellow Learner
Green Policy maker
Blue Librarian/curator
White Administrator/Manager
No dot Other
2. Stick a dot on your
marker indicating which
group you most closely
associate yourself with:
3. Place your marker on the poster

13. www.oerresearchhub.org.uk
oer-research-hub@open.ac.uk
Twitter: @OER_Hub
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