The document discusses the benefits and challenges of open educational resources (OER). Some key benefits include cost savings for students, flexibility to modify and reuse OER content, and encouragement of others to contribute open resources. However, challenges include links to online content becoming broken over time, the time required to search for suitable OER materials, and lack of consistency when compared to traditional textbooks.

1. By: Anjana Ravi
Benefits and
Challenges of OER

2. Overview
• Benefits of OER
• Challenges of OER

3. Benefits of OER
• “Show me the money”
Effective use of OER materials can save money for students.
• “Money see monkey do”
It allows instructors to set a good example in using resources and
providing credit.
• “Life is like a box of chocolates”
It allows instructors to use a variety of sources for class content.

4. Benefits of OER
• “Do it to me one more time.”
It can save time because if we use all OER we do not have to revise
and update with each new edition of the text book.
• “If you build it they will come.”
It encourages others to post OERs and use CC if people are making
use of the open resources.

5. Benefits of OER
• Cost Savings for students
• Student Retention
• Flexibility in modifying someone’s work including
free permission to engage in the 5Rs
activities:
Retain
Reuse
Revise
Remix
Redistribute
• Consistency and orderliness

6. Challenges of Open
Educational Resources
• “Now you see me now you don’t”
Linking to OER sources on the web can be
dangerous when the website or sources goes
away without warning.
• Searching, I’m always searching.”
There is no end to the amount of time one
can spend searching for OER on the web.
• “Argo”
It is not always easy to be sure that the
material you have selected is what it
appears to be without a great deal of

7. • Challenges of Open
Educational Resources
• “The trouble with the curve”
There is certain value in consistency. Using
a standard text book allows the students and
the instructor to learn the style and rythmn
of a single strong text.
• “Goldeneye”
Using OER materials puts us completely under
the power of the technology and there is no
telling what might happen.