2. UNDERSTANDING “OER”
OER – Open Educational Resources
• Available and usable for any education purpose
• Found in the public domain or made available through Creative
Commons
• Can be redistributed, remixed, retained, reused, and revised
3. Open Educational Resources offer a great number of benefits, but
can create sometimes overwhelming challenges to both students
and teachers.This presentation starts from the premise that both
students and teachers are “learners” in this area.The presentation
strives to describe several of the many advantages of OER as well
as identifying some of the drawbacks. While this presentation in no
way can cover all of this topic, it may help to showYOU something
new about this treasure trove of “assets”!
4. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
As all people are “learners” in one sense of the word; open
educational resources allow both instructors and students access to
material that meets specific needs, rather than a text that has been
written for mass production. For many careers and disciplines
today, broad coverage textbooks often do not give detailed views
of a subject.
So, a first benefit is “SPECIFICITY”
5. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
Today’s “learners” often look for diverse viewpoints when learning
a topic. Many traditional courses have only one point of view, i.e.
that of the textbook used in the course. Using resources developed
through Creative Commons as well as items available in the public
domain, can enhance context in which the learner is acquiring
information.
So, a second benefit is “DIVERSITY”
6. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
Open resource items, including courses developed by leading
universities, often offer higher quality courses than can be
developed by smaller organizations, simply because the larger
institutions have more time, money, and/or personnel to develop
their courses.
A third benefit is “CHOICE & QUALITY”
7. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
Some institutions require the use of specific texts or courseware.
The use of open resources can augment these materials and give
the learner other viewpoints or knowledge.
A fourth benefit is “AUGMENTATION”
8. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
As more people make their research and knowledge openly
available, current data can be disseminated quickly.
And a fifth benefit is “CURRENT INNOVATION”
9. BENEFITSTO LEARNERS
Perhaps the most important benefit to open sources is the fact that
they are obtainable at no cost. Whether the learner is a cash-
strapped student or an instructor who needs to enhance the
content of their courses, the many free resources are a boon to
every learner.
And the BEST benefit may be the “COST SAVINGS”
10. OER DRAWBACKS FOR LEARNERS
As more students and instructors recognize the benefits of open
educational resources, the time involved in locating just the right
video or audio lecture can be daunting.
The first drawback is “TIME”.
11. OER DRAWBACKS FOR LEARNERS
Self-learners may substitute online resources or other material for
the items normally covered in a classroom.This can result in
incomplete understanding of critical topic points that are covered
when students can interact with their instructors.
Therefore, a second drawback is “POSSIBLE
MISUNDERSTANDING OF MATERIALS”.
12. OER DRAWBACKS FOR LEARNERS
As there are many institutions that offer free material and classes,
some students may choose to defer higher education.
A third possible drawback is “DROP IN COLLEGE ATTENDANCE”.
13. OER DRAWBACKS FOR LEARNERS
Since most openly available resources are accessible digitally, only
those who can access digital devices and the Internet may benefit
from these materials.
A fourth drawback is “RESOURCES REQUIRE INTERNET ACCESS”
14. OER DRAWBACKS FOR LEARNERS
There are few controls in some OER collections that can evaluate
the content of the material. Also, few systems today allow for
updates to research.
This results in a fifth drawback: “NOT ALL RESOURCES ARE PEER
REVIEWED”
