Open educational resources (OER) provide more accessible and affordable education globally by allowing users to access information without incurring high costs. OER gives students more options for how to learn through downloadable assignments or videos. It also allows students to review materials after courses and share knowledge with others. However, determining quality can be difficult and some instructors may feel ownership of their work is threatened by OER since it is a relatively new concept. Maintaining high quality OER sites over time can also be an expensive challenge.

1. OER
The Benefits and Challenges of Open
Educational Resources

2. Open educational resources make education
more accessible to everybody
• By using OER, people from all around the world can use information without
incurring huge costs. Education that is affordable helps everyone.
• OER allows students more quality when choosing how to learn. Some
students may prefer downloadable assignments while others may prefer
watching videos.

3. More Benefits
• Students also have the benefit of reviewing materials long after a course is
over helping them to remember what they have learned
• Students can much easier share the knowledge they have learned with
others thus spreading education and ideas globally.
• Instructors can feel better about using materials from the internet and
various sources because they can depend upon creative commons.

4. Challenges of Open Educational Resources
• It can be very difficult to determine the quality of a resource.
• OER is a relatively recent development.There is still a lot of confusion about
the purpose of OER and are threatened by it. They may feel that ownership
of their work will be threatened.
• The non-revocable concept of OER leaves some with a feeling of
permanence when releasing work. Being careful to release it under terms
you are happy with is crucial to contentment.

5. More challenges
• There is concern about lost quality over time as site fill up and may become
obsolete. Work must be done to maintain quality sites, and this can be
expensive.
• Some sources of OER are well controlled while others are not. Mis-
information can be a problem.