PowerPoint presentation on the Pros and Cons of OER materials. Completed to fulfill course requirements for OER Training, Winter 2015

1. OPEN EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES
by: Kristen Conley
Pros and Cons

2. What is OER?
Open Education Resources (OER) are
resources made available for little, or no cost, to
the public. These materials can be used in a
variety of situations. Such as in the classroom.
Depending on the license the material is
released under you can modify the material to
suit your own educational needs.

3. The Cons
 Finding the material
 Located across multiple sites
 Instructors/students may not find what they are
looking for
 Quality of material
 Lack of funding means material not updated
frequently
 Material may be outdated
 Anyone can post materials
 Is the material posted accurate?

4. The Cons
 Resistance to OER
 Do the faculty/students know what OER is?
 Are the faculty willing to freely share their
materials?
 Material is non-revocable
 Cannot stop people from using it once it’s shared
 Can change license, or delete; but does not effect
people already using material
 Access to materials
 Need internet to access
 Populations most in need may not have access to
materials

5. The Pros
 COST!
 Free or very low cost
 Greater access for populations who couldn’t
previously afford expensive textbooks
 Flexibility of Material
 Depending on license, can modify material to fit
your class and your needs
 Benefits wider variety of learners

6. The Pros
 Clear copyright
 Know how you can use materials
 Don’t have to contact author for permission to use
 New information
 Textbooks are often outdated at publication
 Can get newer information quickly
 Variety of materials
 Including syllabi, textbooks, videos, pictures,
PowerPoints

7. How do I access OER
materials?
 Many universities and colleges have
contributed OER materials
 Go to http://www.openwa.org/
 Website includes links to OER:
 Textbooks
 Course documents
 Videos
 Images