A look at the benefits and challenges of using open education resources in the classroom.

1. BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF OER
BY JEANETTE MILLER

2. SOME BENEFITS OF OER
 Students Save Money
 Many students struggle with the costs of textbooks. Some even choose to forego purchasing the textbook for a
class when they do not have the money or Financial Aid to cover their textbook expenses.
 A Variety of Options
 The catalog of OER resources seems to be growing daily allowing instructors many options when choosing a text
for most subjects.
 Increased Comprehension
 May also increase student content retention as they can access additional texts if the one being used in their class
is not working for them.

3. SOME BENEFITS OF OER
 Allows Peer Review
 When the work is openly available there is a better chance of receiving peer review and feedback. This can create
a kind of pooled knowledge in a field which can benefit those studying the topic covered.
 Socially Responsible
 Allows education for all – even those not in school. By listing texts as an open resource society as a whole can
benefit from the knowledge being disseminated by experts.

4. SOME CHALLENGES OF OER
 Quality
 As anything can be released as a textbook, it is hard to speak to the quality of the text unless you are an expert in
the field yourself. This can lead to misinformation being disseminated if the text is not properly reviewed and
vetted.
 Sustainability
 As no profits are made off the textbooks published, it can be hard to sustain and update the texts made available
to the public. Outside funding must be secured for their upkeep and it is questionable whether those funds will be
available in the future.
 Accessibility
 It is hard to say whether a text will meet the accessibility needs of all students.

5. SOME CHALLENGES OF OER
 Lack of Diversity
 The lack of peer or publisher oversight when publishing OER texts can lead to a lack of diversity and equity in the
texts being produced. Hopefully, as more OER texts become available, having it reviewed for these issues will
become the norm.
 Lack of Public Understanding
 The public will rarely be educated in the limits of OER permissions and this may lead to unintentional violations.
Hopefully instructors will be required to complete a course like this so those permissions are clear to those using
OER.