This document discusses the benefits and challenges of open educational resources (OER). It defines OER as openly licensed educational content that can be freely used and reused. The benefits outlined are lower costs for students, up-to-date content contributed by experts, shareable resources that help institutions meet their educational mission. Challenges include the large number of resources making it time-consuming to find appropriate content, variability in quality and accessibility, and lack of faculty training in using OER. Supporting OER repositories requires ongoing resources and staffing.
2. What is OER?
OER
◦ O: Open
◦ E: Educational
◦ R: Resources
CHARACTERISTICS OF OER
◦ Content created for a plethora of
subject matters in a variety of
formats.
◦ Created with purpose of being
shared in Public Domain or via
Open License.
◦ Able to be repurposed.
3. Benefits of OER
COST TO STUDENTS
◦ Textbooks and other resources can
be costly.
◦ Cost can deter people from enrolling
in school.
◦ Open Educational Resources can
reduce the overall costs for students
and encourage enrollment.
Free the Textbook by Libby Levi is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
4. Benefits of OER
UP-TO-DATE CONTENT
◦ Content is updated by contributors.
◦ Updated materials go directly back
to the web for sharing.
◦ Instructors and students have access
these updated materials.
Open by Jessica Duensing is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
5. Benefits of OER
QUALITY OF CONTENT
◦ Many reputable institutions are
contributing content:
◦ Khan Academy
◦ Open Yale Courses
◦ MIT Open Courses
Is licensing really the most important question for OER? by
Caroline Madigan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
6. Benefits of OER
SHAREABLE CONTENT
◦ Content is created in manner meant
to be shared, appended, and re-
shared.
◦ Less worry about unclear licensing
or term of use agreements. Open Teaching – Thinning Walls by Alec Couros is licensed under
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
7. Benefits of OER
HELPS MEET MISSION
◦ Provides education to a broader
audience.
◦ EDUCATION FOR ALL mentality.
Open by Jessica Duensing is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
8. Challenges of OER
# OF RESOURCES
◦ There are several resources to
choose from.
◦ Looking for content can be time
consuming and overwhelming.
Teaching Open Source Practices, Version 4.0 by Libby Levi is
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
9. Challenges of OER
QUALITY OF RESOURCES
◦ Resources may not be up-to-date.
◦ Resources may not be accurate.
◦ However, licensing issues provide
the opportunity to update materials
without worry.
◦ I.E., adding more recent theories to a
document outlining a list of learning
theories for future educators.
VIDEO: Education without limits: Why open textbooks are the
way forward by Christina Hardison is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
10. Challenges of OER
ACCESSIBILITY OF RESOURCES
◦ Resources may not created in an
accessible manner.
◦ Again, licensing issues provide the
opportunity to update materials
without worry.
◦ I.E., adding captions to videos created by
someone else.
Web accessibility word cloud by Jil Wright is licensed under CC BY
2.0.
11. Challenges of OER
LACK OF EDUCATION
◦ Faculty require training on OER.
◦ What is OER?
◦ Where can I find Open Educational Resources?
◦ Do I need to give credit to someone when using
OER?
Why is Open Education Important? Roundtable discussion by
Giulia Forsythe is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
12. Challenges of OER
SUPPORT / SUSTAINABILITY
◦ Housing repositories need to be
created and maintain.
◦ It takes staff and equipment to accomplish this.
◦ More global initiatives may require
larger support and funding.
◦ i.e., federal funding.
Opportunities: Online Open Ed Resources & Open Licenses by
Giulia Forsythe is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
