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Qualitative Investigation of Faculty Usage of OERs in Wachington Community and Technical College System
This document summarizes a study on faculty use of open educational resources (OER) at community and technical colleges in Washington state. The study found that faculty use OER in various ways, from supplementing courses to replacing commercial textbooks. Faculty reported that OER allows them to save students money, enhance instruction, and increase pedagogical freedom. However, faculty also face challenges like lack of time, uncertainty about OER, and difficulties finding appropriate materials. The study recommends that colleges provide more support for faculty as they adopt and adapt OER in their courses.
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Qualitative Investigation of Faculty Usage of OERs in Wachington Community and Technical College System
- 1. A Qualitative Investigationof Faculty Open Educational Resource Usage in the Washington Community and Technical College System: Models for Support and Implementation Boyoung Chae, Ph.D. & Mark Jenkins, Ph.D. Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
- 2. An infrastructure ofsupport for faculty use of OER: Washington’s SBCTC
- 3. Purpose of theStudy • To investigate community and technical college faculty’s OER usage and support needs. – How do community and technical college faculty members use OER? – What are the benefits and challenges faculty experienced in implementing OER? – What types of support do faculty require to make OER more usable and significant in their teaching practice?
- 4. Methodology • Employed aqualitative interview study design. • Preceded by a state-wide survey with 770 faculty members. • Conducted the follow-up phone interviews with the survey participants. • Used a criterion sampling method: Participants are faculty members who teach regular quarter- based classes in the Washington state community or technical college.
- 5. Finding 1: Faculty’sUse of Open Educational Resources • Spectrum of using OER – Supplementary use • Supplementing the course with OER unintentionally. • Supplementing the course with OER intentionally. – Primary use • Using the open textbook as a replacement for commercial textbooks. • Using the open course materials. Complete disassociation from the format of the textbook
- 6. Finding 1: Faculty’sUse of Open Educational Resources • Motivation (1). – Faculty’s belief in more accessible education. • Many faculty expressed their strong belief in making education more accessible. • Implementing alternatives to commercial textbooks has been their long-term practice.
- 7. Finding 1: Faculty’sUse of Open Educational Resources • Motivation (2). – Faculty’s pursuit in pedagogical freedom • OER appealed to them because of their fluid and flexible nature. • To the question of what OER meant to them, faculty mentioned the words “freedom” and “liberation.”
- 8. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER Benefits faculty experienced Saving Students Money Enhanced Instructional Responsiveness Evolving content Active student involvement Increased Collaboration More Diverse course content Increased Reflection on Teaching Practice Convenience of Use
- 9. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER • Saving students money – Students expressed gratitude and satisfaction to the fact that they do not have to purchase commercial textbooks. – The faculty’s attitudes concerning students’ financial well-being helped them build a connection with their students.
- 10. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER • Enhanced instructional responsiveness – Evolving content – Active student involvement
- 11. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER • More diverse course content – OER helped faculty implement various learning materials from some of the best educational resources . – Being able to access these resources enhanced students’ learning experience.
- 12. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER • Increased reflection on teaching practice – OER helped faculty reflect on their current teaching practices and encouraged them to try different teaching style.
- 13. Finding 2: Benefitsin Using OER • Convenience of use – With the adoption of OER, faculty no longer experienced a range of inconveniences associated with commercial textbooks.
- 14. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER Challenges faculty experienced Lack of time Uninviting climate Lack of technology and skills Feeling of uncertainty Difficulty in wading through Differences in course specificaitons
- 15. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Lack of time – The most frequently mentioned challenge, consistent through faculty at all levels of OER use. – Faculty used their sabbatical years to restructure the course. – Adjunct faculty did not receive any relief time or sabbatical leave to work on OER implementation.
- 16. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Uninviting climate – Faculty concerned that their OER implementation would not be welcomed in their department. – This was mostly stated by adjunct faculty, who were not participants in their department’s textbook selection process.
- 17. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Lack of technology and skills – Students struggled with technology issues with OER. – Returning adults experience discomfort with OER’s technological requirements.
- 18. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Feeling of uncertainty – OER requires a paradigm shift in the relationships of the knowledge consumer and creator – Both faculty and students experienced anxiety with the increased flexibility and fluidity of OER based class.
- 19. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Difficulty in wading through the information – Faculty experience some initial difficulties with in wading through the available OER.
- 20. Finding 3: Challengesof Using OER • Differences in course specifications. – Faculty expressed difficulty in finding the relevant OER that exactly meets their needs and expectations. – Faculty prefer to develop their own materials using various OER, instead of adopting an entire course package.
- 21. Finding 4: SupportNeeded
- 22. Recommendations • Recommendation forthe Policy Makers – Policies on copyright ownership, – Policies on individual faculty’s use of OER, and – Policies on the registration system. • Recommendation for College Administrators. • Recommendation for Researchers.
- 23. Contact • Full reportis available at http://goo.gl/dERBtX. • Contact authors with any questions: Boyoung Chae (bchae@sbctc.edu) & Mark Jenkins (mjenkins@sbctc.edu)