Presentation for OER 101: Benefits and Challenges of utilizing OER - 5 Benefits and 5 Challenges

1. OPEN EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES (OER) - BENEFITS
AND CHALLENGES
BY DR. REBECCA LEBER-GOTTBERG
OER 101 – SUMMER 2017

2. WHAT ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES (OER)?
• Open educational resources (OER) are educational materials
that reside in the public domain or have been released under
an open license that permits their free use and re-purposing by
others (definition by Hewlett Foundation).
• Open Educational Resources are teaching and learning
materials that you may freely use and reuse, without charge.
OER often have a Creative Commons or GNU license that state
specifically how the material may be used, reused, adapted,
and shared (definition by Creative Commons). Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

3. BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES
BENEFITS
• Affordability and accessibility
• Additional resources for
learning
• Encourage engagement
• Up-to-date and relevant
• Collaboratively developed
CHALLENGES
• Sustainability
• Quality
• Recognition of value in larger
scope
• Faculty and institutional buy-
in
• Larger accessibility issues
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

4. AFFORDABILITY AND
ACCESSIBILITY
• One of the most significant
drawbacks for students is the cost of
course materials. This can oftentimes
be a deterrent for students beginning
the educational process, students
already enrolled, or for schools to
utilize the newest and most up-to-
date resources.
• If materials can be accessed
digitally, then students have ready
access through phones, laptops, etc.
These also allow for students to
experience the material in a different
way.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

5. ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES FOR
LEARNING AND
ENCOURAGE
ENGAGEMENT
With more and more emphasis
being placed on flipping
classrooms and more
interactive, integrated learning,
OER provides opportunities for
faculty and students to expand
the classroom beyond the
textbook.
More engaged students have
better success and derive more
satisfaction and mastery from
the educational experience.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

6. UP-TO-DATE AND
RELEVANT
With the rate that the world is
changing and new knowledge is
being developed, textbooks
become quickly outdated—
oftentimes by the time that they
are published. OER has the
potential to utilize and access
the most recent and newest
information right at the faculty
and student’s fingertips.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

7. COLLABORATIVELY
DEVELOPED
OER has the potential to grow
and develop as it is used and
augmented by faculty and
students.
OER texts (such as openstax) are
peer reviewed and developed by
those knowledgeable in the
field.
OER provides opportunities to
interact with other faculty and
scholars in a different way than
the traditional more siloed
approach to teaching and
learning.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

8. OER – THE “PANACEA” TO ALL THAT AILS
EDUCATION?
• While OER has a number of very valid and significant plusses,
there are also some issues and challenges that must be
considered.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

9. SUSTAINABILITY
Currently, many OER projects
are funded by grant dollars from
numerous organizations. While
this does provide short-term
funding for development and
implementation, the question
remains as to if it is enough to
carry such a significant shift in
education forward into the
future.
Likewise, is there the
appropriate recognition attached
to OER to encourage its growth
and development across
education? Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

10. QUALITY AND
RECOGNITION OF VALUE
Quality versus perception of quality
To what standards will OER be held?
How do we guarantee that quality OER are
utilized in the way that provides the most
opportunity for student success?
How do we change preconceived notions
and ideas about OER amongst faculty and
students?
How do we best utilize OER to bring the
most value to the educational experience?
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

11. FACULTY AND
INSTITUTIONAL BUY-IN
OER is a new idea that is coupled with
new technology and it is vastly different
than the traditional textbook/lecture
format still used by much of Higher
Education.
OER can be perceived as undercutting the
value of faculty expertise and seen as a
replacement for faculty interaction.
OER development can be seen as taking
away earning potential for faculty in
developing text and course material for
the larger market.
How does OER and its development fit
into the entrenched tenure cycle in Higher
Education?
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

12. LARGER
ACCESSIBILITY
ISSUES
The success of OER is predicated on
the idea that everyone has EQUAL
ACCESS to the needed technology
and resources to access it. This is
problematic. Not all houses have
internet access and not all students
possess technology or the
appropriate technology.
Likewise, it is predicated on access to
materials on the Internet. Net
neutrality is a significant issue
currently and could vastly affect
access to content and services online.
It also will affect public entities’
(libraries, schools and even
University’s) access to the Internet
and material on the Internet.
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg

13. CONCLUSIONS
• OER has an untapped amount of potential to equalize education by
making educational materials affordable and accessible for all
students.
• It also has possibilities to improve student learning outcomes by
accessing varied and current materials developed from multiple
perspectives and sources.
• HOWEVER, these are not without significant drawbacks currently.
While OER may be the future of education, it is vital that institutions
“get onboard” with the role of faculty and the development/use of
OER.
• It is also important to recognize that access issues could be a
hindrance to students unless they are also guaranteed the
appropriate technology and access to OER materials institutionally
Rebecca Leber-Gottberg