1. Pros and Cons of
Open Educational
Resources
By Ursula H.

2. Quality Issues
 Quality assurance is not guaranteed
 Information can be tangential and requires
careful review by instructor
However:
 Greater access to quality choices from various
universities
 Standard might be improved by gathering of
more contributors
 Allows for peer review

3. Perception by Users
 Students might use OER’s more because they
appear (and sometimes are) more interactive
 OER’s make use – and indirectly teach –
current technology
However:
 OER courses can be misunderstood as
providing degrees, diplomas, etc. when this is
not an option

4. Economic Matters
 Costs are minimal or nonexistent
 OER’s offer more access to quality choices for
more students
 Educational choices are made available to
more students

5. Accessibility
 OER’s require reliable access to internet
 This is challenging in technologically
underserved areas
However:
 Those areas probably don’t have academic
brick-and-mortar infrastructure either – OER’s
are potentially more accessible
 Course content is available for more extended
periods of time

6. Licensing & Copyright Issues
 Terms can be confusing for users (think “cage-
free” compared to “free-range”)
 The non-revocable nature of Creative
Commons licenses can become an issue
 The OER-concept can be perceived as a threat
to the ownership of intellectual property

7. Academic Matters
 Authors/faculty have access to a wider
audience for their work
 OER’s can function as showcases for research
 Enhancement of learning institutions’
reputation as well as that of instructors
 Best practice approaches can be shared
worldwide

8. Current and Future Challenges
 Sustainability of sites offering OER’s is not yet
guaranteed
 OER’s are not yet widely understood by the
public, students, and instructors alike
 Research needs to be conducted to evaluate
learning results