Benefits and Disadvantages of Open Educational Resources

1. Open Educational
Resources: Pros &
Cons
Victoria Hayward

2. What are Open Educational
Resources
• They are freely accessible documents and media.
• They are usually openly licensed.
• Can be used for purposes of:
a. teaching
b. learning
c. educational
d. research

3. Open Educational Resources
Benefits
Disadvantages
• Enables people to explore different
types of subjects for selfimprovement.
• For various disciplines, instead of
recreating data, one can build
upon someone’s initial work. Less
duplication of efforts.
• Enables people to take a course
online, but no credit is obtained.
Your knowledge is expanded, but
no tangible benefit for credits
towards a degree. Still a disparity
socially for those who can not
afford the price of a formal
education.
• Decreases cost to students: access
to textbooks and supplemental
materials to enhance educational
experience.
• Not all disciplines are represented
or covered equally in OER. Little
resources available for example for
nursing courses.

4. OER-Pros and Cons
Victoria Hayward
Benefits
Disadvantages
• Global Influence- can have access
to material from all parts of the
world. Assists in decreasing barriors
from other’s perspectives from
different areas of the world.
• One needs to have a certain level of
computer literacy to navigate the
OER sites and some knowledge on
how to upload material and the
ability to download materials they
are interested in. In addition, one
must have access to the internet and
a computer to utilize these resources.
• Gives anyone a chance to post
information. Increasing equality.
Decreases elitism of only certain
faculty or students being able to
share ideas.
• Accuracy of material could be a
issue. Who is verifying data posted?
• Needs to be awareness of cultural
perspectives and implications of
information shared globally.

5. Open Educational Resources
can have a positive influence
for faculty and students.
This a new area that is just
starting to make a mark in the
educational realm. Not as
many people are aware of the
availability of OER resources.
More information needs to be
disseminated throughout high
schools and in community
colleges assisting students in
the resources available for
them. Knowledge is power and
this new forum for learning can
impact the future of learning as
we know it.

6. Benefits and Disadvantages of Open Educational
Resources
Victoria Hayward