OER provides several benefits including cost savings for students, promoting social justice, and increasing student retention. It allows for more current information in textbooks and course materials while being better for the environment. However, there are also challenges to using OER, such as the time required to find and curate high quality open resources, variability in quality, ensuring accessibility, requiring student access to technology, and needing funding to compensate instructors for their time in developing OER courses. Overall, the document concludes that the benefits of OER outweigh the challenges.

1. Benefits of
OER
 Cost savings to students
 Social justice
 Student retention
 Allows for current information
 Better for the planet
Open
Educational
Resources

2. 1. Cost Saving to students
The price of a textbook Introduction to Business starts at around
$120, the one I used at a previous college was $175. This is not
good for our students, many of whom are on financial aid. With
OER, you can find free or very low-cost textbooks
2. Social justice
Income inequality is a huge problem in the US and is growing. By
using OER, especially if all content is free to all students, you are
leveling the field between better off and poverty level students.

3. 3. Student retention
I had a student in my online class drop this quarter because he
couldn't afford the book. With OER, this could have been
avoided
4. Allows for more current information
The textbook we are currently using was printed in 2015 and is
already outdated. Using OER, you can find links to more
current content
5. Better for the planet
By having books and other content on Canvas, you are saving
trees, inks and other resources. This is an ecological way to go.

4. Challenges of OER
 1. Time consuming
 2. Variable quality
 3. Accessibility
 4. Student access to technology
 5. Funding

5. 1. Time consuming
Just in this class, finding one piece of information took a
very long time. There is so much information out there,
and sometimes key words didn't help.
2. Quality of material varies
Once again, finding any material takes time, but finding
quality material takes even longer.
3. Accessibility
We have to be proactive to make material accessible
to all students. Some of the videos I found did not have
close captioning, and therefore would be difficult for
any student with hearing impairment.

6. 4. Technology access
With OER, we expect all students to have access to a computer and internet.
Students do have access at the library, but if you have a student who has
recently been incarcerated and living in a monitored situation, they are not
allowed access to computers or even cell phones, and have limited time to
be at school.
5. Funding
My first two challenges were related to the time it takes to build a course with
an OER curriculum. State budgets can change, and there may not be money
available to compensate those instructors for the time it takes.

7. My conclusion?
OER benefits outweigh
the challenges.
I am hoping to use OER
almost exclusively in the
future, I think students will
benefit
Thanks, Fiona Jackson
SCC