Does OER usage improve teaching practice, foster open policies at institutions, and make access to education more equitable? These oer hub open universityare the hypotheses that the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources(CCCOER) has been investigating in collaboration with the OER Research Hub at Open University. Through the use of faculty surveys and interviews with college administrators and leaders from over 20 community colleges, data has been Tacoma Collegegathered on teaching practices and perceptions of how open and online educational resources enhance student learning and foster institutional open policies. We will also hear from Tacoma Community College’s “The Liberated Project” student voices on how students benefit directly from OER and the major role they can play in OER adoption. Please join the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER) for this free webinar on Wed, April 9, 11:00 am (PT), 2:00 pm (ET) featuring: • Dr. Rob Farrow, lead researcher for the community college collaboration at the OER Research Hub project. Dr. Farrow will share his year-long journey including many visits to U.S. community colleges to observe and interview administrators, faculty, and students engaged in open education practice and advocacy. * Quill West, OER director and faculty librarian at Tacoma Community College created the Liberated Project to share student voices in the OER adoption process. The talk will feature “The Liberated,” students who have taken courses where OER are used instead of textbooks and also will describe how to invite students to add their voices to the evidence that OER has a positive impact on teaching and learning.

1. Rob Farrow, Open University
Quill West, Tacoma Community College
April 9, 2014
11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
OER Impact Research
Faculty & Student Voices

2. Collaborate Window Overview
Audio & Video
Participants
Chat
Tech Support available at:
1-760-744-1150 ext. 1537, 1554

4. Agenda
• Introductions
• CCCOER Overview
• The Liberated Project: Student Voices at
Tacoma College
• Community College Research: OER Hub at
Open University
• Questions & Answers
APRIL IS NATIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MONTH!!
Image: Creative Commons c-by-nc
EpicFireworks

5. Welcome
Please introduce yourself in chat window
Quill West
OER Project Director
Tacoma Community College
Rob Farrow
Senior Researcher
OER Research Hub
Open University, UK
Moderator: Una Daly
Director of Community College Outreach
OpenCourseWare Consortium

6. • Promote adoption of OER to enhance
teaching and learning
–Expanding access to education
–Supporting professional development
–Advancing the community college
mission
CCCOER
Funded by the William & Flora
Hewlett Foundation

7. 240+ Colleges in 17 States & Provinces

8. OER Impact Research Informs
– Curriculum development
– Academic Senate
– Student advocacy
– Grant proposals/reports
– College board of trustees
– Institutional open policies
– State legislation

9. Liberated: Student Voices
Quill West
OER Project Director

10. Eliciting Student Voice
tacomacc.edu/open

11. TCC
OER
Project
“The
Liberated”
Support
Faculty
Assessment of
Success
Outreach and
Development

12. OER create greater
access to education by
lowering costs and
making classes more
interesting.

13. OER create greater
access to education by
lowering costs and
making classes more
interesting.
Prove it!

14. Savings: Regular tracking of courses.
Surveys: Students and faculty quarterly.
Achievement Data: Quarterly reviews from IR.

15. OER is better?
Are they thinking

16. Have a panel.
Survey classes using OER.
Teachers give journals.
Visit classes – Teach Intellectual Property.
Students pick the issue.
More qualitative survey.
Happy accidents.

18. OER Impact in
Community Colleges
Rob Farrow, PhD
Senior Researcher
Institute Educational Technology

19. • Research project at The Open University (UK)
• Funded by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation for two years
• Two professors lead four researchers among a team of ten
• Tasked with building the most comprehensive picture of OER impact
• Organised by eleven research hypotheses
• Collaboration model across different educational sectors
• Global reach but with a USA focus
OER Research Hub
oerresearchhub.org

20. Keyword Research Hypothesis
Performance OER improve student performance/satisfaction
Openness People use OER differently from other online materials
Access OER widen participation in education
Retention OER can help at-risk learners to finish their studies
Reflection OER use leads educators to reflect on their practice
Finance OER adoption brings financial benefits for
students/institutions
Indicators Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting
OER
Support Informal learners develop their own forms of study support
Transition OER support informal learners in moving to formal study
Policy OER use encourages institutions to change their policies
Assessment Informal assessments motivate learners using OER

22. CCCOER/OERRH Research Collaboration
Focus on impact of OER adoption on teaching practice, institutional policies and
factors of cost and access
Feb-May 2013
Faculty Survey
Development
IRB Process
May-Dec 2013
Survey Deployment
Ongoing
Interviews and focus
groups with faculty;
policymakers; students
Incorporation of
institutional evidence
into OER Impact Map
Jan-Apr 2014
Analysis &
Dissemination

23. Colleges Participating in OERRH Research
Anne Arundel CC (MD) Baltimore City CC (MD)
Cerritos CC (CA) College of the Canyons
(CA)
De Anza College (CA) Florida Virtual Campus
(FL)
Foothill CC (CA) Houston CC (TX)
Maricopa County CC
District (AZ)
Northern Virginia CC (VA)
Roane State CC (TN) South Florida CC (FL)
Tacoma CC (WA) University of Maryland
University College (MD)

24. • Most respondents were
experienced teachers (84% at least
7 years) with postgraduate degrees
(96%)
• Most teach full-time (65%) and are
involved in online instruction (57%)
n=136. For more detail on sampling:
http://oerresearchhub.org/2014/02/17/oer-impact-at-community-colleges-elearning2014/

25. 136 usable survey responses were recorded:
• De Anza College, CA (5)
• Foothill College, CA (33)
• Houston Community College, TX (41)
• Northern Virginia Community College (30)
• Roane State Community College, TN (13)
• South Florida Community College, FL (4)
May 2014: survey data is being supplemented with analysis of qualitative data
gathered from college visits in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, and California.

26. OER Behaviours of
College Educators

27. 52%
24%
18%
11% 9%
7%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
I have adapted
open educational
resources to fit my
needs
I have created
open educational
resources for
study or teaching
I have added a
resource to a
repository
I have created
resources myself
and published
them on a Creative
Commons (CC)
licence
I have added
comments to a
repository
regarding the
quality of a
resource
I have added
comments to a
repository
suggesting ways of
using a resource
Patterns of OER Use
Of those that create
OER (24%) less than
half publish them on an
open (CC) licence

28. 7.9%
10.8%
12.2%
18 %
23%
25.2%
25.9%
29.5%
32.4%
34.5%
37.4%
38.1%
38.8%
64.7%
69.8%
Data sets
Whole course
Interactive games
Infographics
Audio podcasts
Learning tools, instruments and plugins
Lesson plans
E-books
Tutorials
Elements of a course (e.g. a module/unit)
Open textbooks
Quizzes
Lectures
Images
Videos
Types of OER Used
Multimedia content is
around twice as popular
as other OER (including
textbooks)
Few reported using a
whole course of
OER, suggesting they
cherry pick resources as
needed
Very few are using
openly available data to
teach

29. OER Repositories Used
1% 2% 4% 5%
9%
11% 13%
17%
20%
26% 26%
32%
35%
43%
71%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
YouTube is more than
twice as popular as most
OER respositories

30. Factors relevant to choosing OER
7%
9%
21%
29%
33%
36%
42%
42%
43%
43%
48%
48%
48%
49%
51%
58%
69%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Being required to use a resource for a project/task
The resource featuring a catchy title or attractive image(s)
The resource having previously been used with students
Evidence of interest in that resource (e.g. lots of downloads)
The length/complexity of the resource
The resource being recently created, uploaded or updated
Personal recommendation
Having previously used this resource successfully
Use of interactive or multimedia content
Positive user ratings or comments about the resource
A description of learning objectives or outcomes being provided
The resource having a Creative Commons license
A detailed description of the resource content
The resource being easy to download
The resource having an open license allowing adaptation
Created/uploaded by a reputable/trusted institution/person
The resource being relevant to my particular interests/needs

31. OER impact on
teachers/students

32. Impact on teaching practice from OER use
6%
13%
14%
14%
16%
18%
19%
21%
22%
23%
3%
5%
1%
3%
4%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
I make use of a wider range of multimedia
I reflect more on the way that I teach
I have broadened my coverage of the curriculum
I now use OER study to develop my teaching
I have improved ICT skills
I more frequently compare my own teaching with others
I have a more up-to-date knowledge of my subject area
I use a broader range of teaching and learning methods
I collaborate more with colleagues
I make more use of culturally diverse resources
strongly agree– agree– neither agree nor disagree– disagree– strongly disagree–

33. OER: perceptions of impact on learners
8%
9%
9%
12%
12%
12%
14%
15%
15%
15%
16%
17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
... increases interest in the subjects taught
... builds confidence
... allows me to better accommodate learners' needs
... increases collaboration and/or peer-support
... increases enthusiasm for future study
... increases participation in class discussions
... increases satisfaction with the learning experience
... leads to improved student grades
... increases engagement with lesson content
... develops independence and self-reliance
... leads to interest in a wider range of subjects
... Increases experimentation with ways of learning
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

34. Perception of
Financial Savings

35. Has your institution saved money
through OER?
yes
44%
no
19%
don't know
37%
“OER resources are old-school, low-tech
modules that are not peer-reviewed or
nationally normed. There are some
interesting tentative attempts at creativity
but much of OER is cr*p.”
“Students return for
additional classes”
“They don't like losing the
revenue stream from the
bookstore”
“I know that some
instructors are only using
OER which provides
substantial savings for our
students.”

36. Have your students saved money
through OER?
yes
62%
no
13%
don't know
25%
“Saving money is a
big incentive for
students and
institutions.”
“I still use publishers'
textbooks in my
classes. I use OER
as supplements to
the textbook.”
“My students tell me
and enrollment in my
classes has
continually increased
over those of my
peers.”
“I developed an
online textbook for
the personal health
class that I teach.
This saves each of
my students
approximately $100.”
“I know that some
instructors are only using
OER which provides
substantial savings for our
students.”

37. OER impact on
student retention

38. strongly agree
12%
agree
26%
neither agree nor
disagree
50%
disagree
8%
strongly disagree
4%
“OER use helps at-risk students to continue
their studies”
“Driving down the cost coupled with the
ability to modify and adapt the material
to meet the needs of my learners are
two major factors in why I like using
OER materials.”
• More than 1/3 believed
that OER use promotes
student retention
• Around half feel it has no
effect
• The remainder (12%)
disagreed or strongly
disagreed with one noting
that “other things are more
important”.

39. 11%
18% 21%
35% 36% 36%
47%
57%
60%
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Materials are
available in
different
languages
Availability of
culturally-
relevant
materials
Materials
can be used
for improving
non-native
language
skills
Materials
can be
adapted to
suit student
needs
Greater
range of
learning
methods
Use of
resources for
improving
study skills
Materials
can be used
flexibly
Materials
can be
accessed at
any time
Reduced
cost of study
materials
OER as promoter of student retention: factors

40. Attitudes
“Some at-risk students benefit from
OER because of the obvious release
of financial obligation. Others are
challenged by the technology and
OER actually makes their success
rates drop.”
“My concern is that at-risk students
don't seem to do well in online
environments because it doesn't
always provide them the structure
they need.”
“Many at risk students don't have the
means to access high speed internet or
have limited technological availability. To
assume they do is simply wrong.
Additionally, they have more complicated
extrinsic factors impacting their
lives, which may require more intensive
contact from the instructor to keep them
involved in the course. OER is not going to
be a make or break issue of retention. It is
not a panacea for at-risk students.”
“The biggest factors in physics for student
attrition are time-constraints and
insufficient previous preparation, neither of
which is affected by the class resources.”
OER and retention of at-risk
students: comments against

41. Importance of Open Licensing

42. How important is open licensing (e.g. CC)?
crucial
20%
very important
34%somewhat important
19%
neither important nor
unimportant
22%
not at all important
5%
More than half feel that open
licensing is important, but fewer
actually practice it.
This could indicate either 1) that
educators are not confident about
licensing their work or 2) they feel
it is an avoidable addition to their
workload.

43. Summary

44. Summary of Results
• Most of the respondents have used some sort of OER, though only around a
quarter create OER
• Most report positive effects on their teaching practice as a result of OER
use, particularly around peer collaboration and improved subject knowledge
• A smaller proportion (but still in excess of 40%) feel that OER use directly leads
to improved reflection on pedagogical practice
• Positive effects were also identified for learners, especially around increased
self-reliance, subject interest and experimentation

45. Summary of Results
• There were mixed views about whether OER was saving institutions money, but
approximately 2/3 felt that students had saved money
• Around 1/3 believe that OER is improving student attrition while around 1/2
believe it is not having an effect
• Only around half of OER creators have used open licensing
• There is a core of advocates who understand and actively promote OER; they
adopt open educational practices and believe it leads to benefits
• There were similar numbers who thought OER wasn‟t making much of a
difference and a core of what might be termed „anti-OER‟ responses.
Sometimes this seems to result from misunderstanding OER

46. • Many community colleges require IRB approval for faculty surveys
• IRBs may meet infrequently particularly during academic breaks
• IRBs limit approvals to prevent duplication and survey fatigue
• The process can take longer than expected - good planning is essential!
Reflection: Survey Research
in Community Colleges

47. Next Steps

48. Next Steps
• Further analysis of this cohort, including isolation of the OER advocates and
OER detractors to identify behavioural and attitudinal patterns
• Cross-referencing with other OERRH surveys, e.g. Saylor „informal learners‟
survey (n=3014) to build a more complete picture of different stakeholders
• Integration of institutional metrics (where possible) and qualitative data gathered
in field work
• Open dissemination of raw data; openly licensed research instruments
• Adding your data to OER Impact Map (http://oermap.org)

49. OER Impact Map
oermap.org

50. Global Impact Summary

51. Impact Summary (USA)

52. Map of OER Projects

53. Evidence Map (College, USA)

54. OER Policy Map (USA)

55. Live Evidence Summary

56. Filtering data according to
sector, hypothesis & polarity
Framework for comparing
disparate evidence types
Collaborative research, analysis
& dissemination
Openness in action: openly
licensed research
instruments, data
Effective evidence-
based decision-
making and
advocacy

57. We want to put you on the map!
So let us know about OER activity
and impact in your local college

58. Thanks for listening!
oerresearchhub.org
oermap.org
rob.farrow@open.ac.uk

59. in service of The Open University

61. Next CCCOER Webinar
Wed, May 14

62. Thank you for attending!
Please type QUESTIONS in the chat window or
click on the talk button.
Contact Information
Una Daly unatdaly@ocwconsortium.org
Rob.Farrow Rob.Farrow@open.ac.uk
Quill West qwest@tacomacc.edu

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Student Voices Shortened
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