Discover the transformative potential of Open Educational Resources (OER) for affordable, inclusive, and engaging online learning.

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the quest for professional development and enhancement of online teaching and learning skills remains a top priority for educators. To this end, Open Educational Resources (OER) have emerged as a valuable ally, offering a wealth of opportunities to improve and diversify online course materials. In this blog post, we will delve into what an OER is, explore its benefits and challenges, identify tools for finding a quality OER, and discuss essential considerations for assessing OER content.

What Are Open Educational Resources (OER)?

“Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely and publicly available teaching, learning, and research materials that are either in the public domain or released under intellectual property licenses that allow free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others” (OER Commons). These resources can revolutionize education by providing equitable access to high-quality educational materials for learners of all backgrounds. An OER opens a world of possibilities for educators, students, and lifelong learners (OER Commons).

It is essential to understand the criteria that must be met for material to be classified as an OER. These materials should be:

• Openly Licensed: They should carry licenses that permit their free use, modification, and sharing.
• Freely Available: They should be accessible without cost or financial barriers.
• Modifiable: Users should be able to adapt, revise, and remix the content.

Benefits of Using an OER

The benefits of incorporating an OER into your online courses are manifold:

1. Cost Savings: An OER can alleviate the financial burden on students who often struggle to purchase expensive course materials.
2. Culturally Responsive Instruction:
   • An OER allows educators to translate and adapt content to make it more culturally relevant.
   • It enables the elimination of biases, “normative” perspectives, and stereotypes in educational materials.
3. Flexibility and Innovation:
   • An OER can be adapted to fit different learning styles and preferences, enhancing the overall learning experience.
   • It encourages educators to incorporate learner-generated content into course materials, making it more interactive and engaging.
4. Broad Audience Sharing: OER content can be shared with a global audience, extending the reach of your educational materials.
5. Scalability: An OER supports the expansion of your courses, allowing you to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

Challenges of Using an OER

Following are few challenges associated with using Open Educational Resources (OER) in education, along with potential solutions for each (Seaman & Seaman, 2017):

Challenges of Using OER	Respective Solutions
Quality Assurance: Ensuring the quality and accuracy of OER materials.	Establish clear evaluation criteria, promote peer reviews, and collaborate with institutions to create quality assured OER.
Finding Suitable Resources: Identifying appropriate OER materials that align with the curriculum and learning objectives.	Identifying appropriate OER materials that align with the curriculum and learning objectives.
Licensing and Copyright: Understanding OER licensing terms and complying with copyright regulations.	Provide training on licensing, attribution, and copyright, and use resources like Creative Commons licenses.
Constant Updates: OER may not always be updated as frequently as commercial textbooks.	Establish a process for updating OER materials, involve faculty in the maintenance, and create version histories.
Technology and Accessibility: Students lacking reliable internet access or compatible devices may struggle to access OER.	Ensure OER are accessible, provide alternative formats, and consider offline access options for students with limited connectivity.
Resistance to Change: Some students and faculty may prefer traditional textbooks or be unfamiliar with OER.	Raise awareness about the benefits of OER, provide support for transitioning, and offer choices for students who prefer traditional materials.
Integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS): Integrating OER into the course’s LMS can be complex.	Invest in LMS integration tools, provide technical support, and share best practices for seamless integration.

Addressing these challenges with the suggested solutions can help educators successfully implement OER in education while maximizing the benefits and minimizing the drawbacks.

What Can You Do with an OER?

Remember the 5R principles when working with OER:

1. Retain: You can make, own, and control copies of the content.
2. Reuse: Use the content in several ways within your course.
3. Revise: Adapt, modify, reformat, translate, and alter the content.
4. Remix: Combine revised or original content with other materials.
5. Redistribute: Share copies of original, revised, or remixed content.

How to Find an OER:

Finding an OER can be as simple as consulting your university’s librarian or exploring these tools:

• Google Advanced Search: Utilize Google’s search operators to find openly licensed resources.
• Mason OER Metafinder: A powerful tool for discovering OER across various platforms.
• OER Collections and Databases: Specialized databases and collections dedicated to OER, such as MERLOT.
• Canvas Commons: If your institution uses Canvas as a Learning Management System, it may have an OER repository.
• Subject-Specific Content: Websites like MedTube, Business Commons, and EDHub offer specialized OERs.

Collecting and Evaluating OER Materials:

When collecting OER materials, consider the following:

• Content: Does the OER material align with your course objectives and have a clear focus? If not, discard.
• Activities: Does the material support active learning and critical thinking? If not, discard.
• Reuse: Check the license to ensure it allows for changes or derivative works. If not, consider discarding unless it is essential.
• Functionality: Ensure that the OER is easy to access and compatible with various devices. If not, consider discarding non-essential content.

If the material meets these criteria, save it for selection in your course.

Considerations for Evaluating OER

To ensure the quality of OER materials, consider the following evaluation criteria:

• Degree of Alignment to Standards
• Quality of Explanation of the Subject Matter
• Utility of Materials Designed to Support Teaching
• Quality of Assessment
• Quality of Technological Interactivity
• Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises
• Opportunities for Deeper Learning
• Assurance of Accessibility

Open Educational Resources present a promising path to create engaging and accessible online courses while reducing the financial burden on students. By understanding the principles of an OER, knowing where to find them, and effectively assessing their suitability, educators can embrace a more inclusive and innovative approach to online teaching and learning.

If you would like to either learn more about OER, or how they can be best used in your course, please reach out to our team. The SCSU Online and Distance Learning team can provide the proper guidance and tools for any course. Reach out to us via email or through Bookings.

References:

Academic Partnerships (2022, October). List of open educational resources and repositories. Faculty eCommons. https://facultyecommons.com/list-of-open-educational-resources-and-repositories/

Cottonbro Studio. (2020) Group of people sitting on chair in front of table [Photograph]. Pexels.  https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-sitting-on-chair-in-front-of-table-4877850/

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons. (n.d.). Comprehensive OER initiative toolkit for educators and managers.  https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108403/overview

Seaman, J. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). Opening the textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education. Babson, Survey Research Group https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED582411.pdf

Seaman, J. E., & Seaman, J. (2018). Freeing the textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. higher education. Babson Survey Research Group. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED616828

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (2020). Open education. Hewlett Foundation. https://hewlett.org/strategy/open-education

 

 

Shagufta Naeem is a Graduate Assistant at the Online and Distance Learning department at Saint Cloud State University. She is an ACCA Member with a bachelor’s degree in applied accounting, a CFA Charter-holder and is pursuing an MBA from SCSU. She has 8 years of work experience specific to Corporate Credit, Audit, Risk Assurance, Internal Controls, and Financial Management.