Benefits nad challenges of useing OER

1. Benefits
and
Challenges
of using
OER
April Kindrick, Psychology Professor
South Puget Sound Community College

2. Content
Introduction
What is OER
Benefits of using OER (1-5)
Challenges of using OER (1-5)
Conclusions

3. Open Educational
Resources (OER)
“Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and
learning materials that are freely available online for
everyone to use, whether you are an instructor, student
or self-learner.”
(https://openeducationalresources.pbworks.com/w/page/24836860/W
hat%20are%20Open%20Educational%20Resources)
A few examples include:
• Full online courses
• Lectures
• Syllabi
• Assignments
• Activities

4. Benefit #1: FREE
Cost effective
In this case = FREE!
Saves students from mounds of debt (well, at
least some of the college debt)
Money by Nick Ares is licensed under CC BY-SA 2

5. Benefit #2: Accessible
Everything in OER available online
All you need is a gadget* with internet access
Gadgets:
Computer
Smart phone
Tablet
Laptop
Etc…

6. Benefit #3: Convenience
Don’t have to keep track of multiple textbooks
Don’t have to carry around heavy textbooks
Saves space in small rooms and tiny houses
Books without shelves by Nicolas Mirguet licensed under CC
BY-NC 2.0

7. Benefit #4: Quantity
Material available on multiple subjects
Material available on broad topics and subtopics
Material available in multiple formats
Videos
Written
Images

8. Benefit #5:
Social Responsibility
Saves unrecycled textbooks from piling up in
landfills
Textbooks updated every 2-3 years
At the landfill by Richard Walker licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

9. Challenge #1: Preference
Some (many?) prefer printed material
Why digital natives prefer reading in print.
Don’t judge a book by its cover: tech-savy teens
remain fans of print books.
University of Washington study
Students preferred hard copy of text for reading
even when e-book cheaper
Exploring eTextbooks at the University of
Washington: What We Learned and What is Next

10. Challenge #2:
Comprehension
More likely to multitask when reading online
Tend to skim online materials rather than fully
read material
May get distracted from actually reading (pretty
picture)
Why digital natives prefer reading in print.
New study suggests ebooks could negatively
affect how we comprehend what we read

11. Challenge #3:
Sleep Deprivation?
Harvard University Study (small # of participants)
E-readers foil good night’s sleep
E-readers before bedtime
“Blue light” interferes with
Circadian rhythm
Less alert
Feel groggy next day
The coffee trap by Frl.
Schrodinger
licensed under CC BY-NC-NC 2.0

12. Challenge #4:
No emotional connection
Norway's Stavanger University Study
Less emotional connection to material read online
versus read in print version
Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper
Emotional connection to psychological material
important
Psychology about us!
Deeper processing of meaning with connections
= increased retention

13. Challenge #5:
Overwhelm
Sifting through quantity of material
To find High Quality material
Time consuming
No pay for extra time involved for preparation
May have to make up own testbank

14. Conclusions
Definitely pros and cons to OER
As well as pros and cons to standard textbooks
Why have to decide either/or?
Faculty and institutions may find that a mix of e-
materials through OER and printed materials may
be the wave of the future