This is a presentation about the benefits and challenges associated with open educational resources.

1. Open
Educational
Resources/OER
Benefits & Challenges
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2. Open Educational Resources -
Benefits
• Broad accessibility for users.
• Supports different learning styles.
• Multiple delivery platforms.
• Alignment with emerging & emergent technologies and
knowledge.
• Value proposition for students.
• Creativity for content developers.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
Ann Avary

3. Benefits 1
• Accessibility for users.
• By their nature, OER resources are broadly accessible by users, breaking down
barriers to access.
• OER resources can help level the playing field for many students.
• OER resources offer robust professional development opportunities for faculty.
• Learning styles.
• OER resources can support multiple learning styles via text, video and audio content
delivery.
• Flexible delivery platforms.
• OER resources are flexible and adaptable, creators can utilize written, audio, video
and imagery to create content.
• Recipients can often receive content in a manner that best accommodates them.
• OER resources represent efficiencies regarding content access for student learning
outcomes and professional development for faculty and staff.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
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4. Benefits 2
• Alignment with emerging & emergent industry technologies and
knowledge.
• OER content creators have access to current research and data, allowing student
access to real time industry trends.
• This alignment supports learning outcomes and the student experience. This same
concept applies to faculty and staff professional development.
• Value for students.
• OER curriculum can supplement or replace expensive textbooks in professional
technical programs.
• This value model can help support student success and program completion.
• Creativity.
• OER creators are limited only by their imagination.
• Material can be created, arranged, formatted and presented to maximize access,
learning outcomes, interest and impact.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
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5. Open Educational Resources
- Challenges
• Quality & reliability of source information.
• Long-term viability of OER.
• Awareness of OER and requirements to achieve
baseline user competency.
• As an educational tool, OER is not yet a standard.
• Access to technology can be a barrier.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
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6. Challenges 1
• Quality & reliability of source information.
• OER is an exciting and dynamic tool, full of possibility – it is critical to ensure that information
and data are properly sourced and used. Invalid information and data, and incorrect sourcing
and attribution can harm the efficacy and value of curriculum and adversely impact learning
objectives and outcomes for students.
• Long-term viability of OER.
• OER requires a consistent and stable source of funding in order to be sustainable and broadly
adopted. Viability should not be dependent on grant funding cycles.
• Leadership, at all levels, is essential to ensure not only sustainability, but growth and
expansion as well.
• Awareness of OER and related Creative Commons requirements are essential to
achieve baseline user competency.
• Professional development is critical to understanding the use, creation, and deployment of
OER resources.
• Professional development opportunities should be consistent and readily accessible.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
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7. Challenges 2
• Attaining standard level acceptance and use.
• While OER resources are broadly and more consistently available, they have
not yet reached the point of universal use in education.
• The team at State Board has done an excellent job of making the training
readily available.
• Consistent resource funding is essential to reaching critical mass.
• Access to technology can be a barrier.
• For those with limited or no access to technology, inequitable access to OER
resources is a serious barrier, impeding learning and program completion.
• Programs and institutions can address these barriers by ensuring that all
students have equitable access to technology required to effectively support
the use of OER resources and learning platforms.
Open Educational Resources/OER, Benefits & Challenges
Ann Avary