PowerPoint summarizes the benefits and challenges of using OER and the proposed solutions to overcoming barriers.

1. OER: Benefits and
Challenges
Teresa Pan

2. What is OER?
Open Educational Resources are materials for
teaching or learning that are either in the public
domain or have been released under a license that
allows them to be freely used, changed, or shared
with others.
(Sparks, March 2017)

3. What are the benefits of using OER?
 Affordability option - saves cost for students
 Sharing of content - piece of mind about attribution
 Supplement/enhance course content – presenting information
in multiple formats
 Social Responsibility – provides education with minimum
barriers
 Continually improved resources – adapt, directly edit, use the
modified OER

4. Research on Efficacy and Perceptions of OER
According to Hilton, J. (2016) Open educational resources and
college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and
perceptions,
- Students generally achieve the same learning outcomes when
using OER; and
- Significant cost savings for students

5. OER Challenges
Barrier Solution
Trouble locating OER that aligns with need Resources that help faculty find, adapt, adopt or create
OER
Determining high quality resources Evaluate materials using rubrics
Determining what can be adapted, type of license Check Creative Commons for various types of licensing
What if students want print version? Most OER textbooks can be made available at low cost
print versions. Press Books allows students to
download e-books as PDF
What if my students want access to the content
after the course has ended?
Print versions of OER text allows students to keep a
copy of the material after the course has ended.

6. References
 Hilton, J. (2016, February). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a
review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9
 PennState (2019, October). Benefits of Using OER. Retrieved from
https://oer.psu.edu/benefits-of-using-oer/
 PennState (2019, October). Challenges of Using OER and how to Overcome Them.
Retrieved from https://oer.psu.edu/challenges-of-using-oer-and-how-to-overcome-them/
 Sparks, S.D. (2017, March). What is OER? Answers to 5 Questions About Open Educational
Resources. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/03/29/what-is-oer-5-
questions-about-open-oer.html