Benefits and challenges of OER

1. OPEN EDUCATION
RESOURCES
CHANGING THE WAY WE TEACH THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE
GLOBAL EFFORT
CARA COCCHIARELLA

2. CHALLENGES OF OER
• Materials are currently limited in some subjects
• Unless creating your own materials, doesn’t coincide with
backward design
• Objectivity of the materials is not guaranteed
• May need to go to great lengths for accessibility
• This is new - change is difficult for people, even if it makes life
easier

3. BENEFITS OF OER
• Materials are able to be updated consistently allowing for more accuracy
than textbooks
• Materials may represent a global view
• We can teach a lesson from an entirely different perspective than our own –
helps to reach all students in the class
• Students are often times attracted to technology as opposed to a book – the
change in medium is good
• Anything that we can do to make education more accessible for people is
something we should be doing!