This was part of an assignment for a OER 101 class I took through the SBCTC (Washing State Board of Career and Technical Colleges).

1. Benefits and Challenges of
OER
LAURIE CENTAURI

2. Benefits of OER
 FREE!
 It’s free to use and free to make (Just add your time!)
 Global community enrichment through added content
 There’s no toll gate for us to publish our content. No editor and no company policy that has to be abided by. We can share
our knowledge with the world.
 Easy to imbed in course materials
 Links can be added inside modules and lecture notes
 Eliminates “pay to play”
 Students can preview the materials before the start of class. Instructors can assign jump-start extra credit assignments due
on the first day of class without worrying about students who don’t have the course materials yet – everyone already has
access
 Diversifies the textbook
 Instructors don’t have to stick with just one textbook as the source for content due to price. They can use multiple OER
books to meet the course objectives.

3. Challenges of OER
 Students aren’t as tech savvy as we think they are
 They have a hard time finding the links we put into the content and when we try to put them in more spots it can confuse
them even more!
 Global community can give negative criticism
 When we put material out there we are inviting criticism. Hopefully the criticism helps us improve but that is not guaranteed.
 There is no promise that the material will be kept up to date
 With no publisher behind it and no revision schedule, these materials will have to be reviewed by the instructor often to make
sure they are up to date
 Does everyone really have access to online OER?
 When I taught in Oklahoma I often had students who would lose their home internet access during tornado season. In those
cases, a paper textbook and paper homework are better than anything online.
 Occam’s Razor – the right answer is usually the one with the fewest assumptions
 With OER sources I’m more likely to use two or three different texts. This adds a layer of complexity to my courses which
adds a layer of complexity to my student’s already complex lives. A single textbook is simpler but I’m willing to bet my
students will find paying money for a single text to be more of a problem.