OER Benefits & Challenges

Challenges and Benefits of Open Education ResourcesEmily Wood

Pierce College District

January 2014

Benefit 1:Savings for StudentsOER provides students with free or low-cost alternatives to a traditionally published textbook.

Money by Tax Credits is licensed under CC-BY.

Benefit 2: Information Literacy SkillsSome uses of OER can help students build lifelong information finding and information evaluation skills.

Academic Life by Les Roches is licensed under CC-BY.

Benefit 3: Sharing Made Easier Easy to understand open licensing makes sharing easier for both the OER creator and the adopter.

Sharing by bengrey is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Benefit 4: Access to Fresh ContentTraditionally published textbooks go through a long publishing process, sometimes resulting in stale content. OER is a way to bypass that system.

Dandelions by opensourceway is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Benefit 5:Brings in Different Discipline PerspectivesOER can bring in different perspectives from the discipline that may not be available via traditionally published textbooks.

Network of bees by opensourceway is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Challenge 1:Needle in HaystackFinding the right resources that you are looking for can seem like a needle in a haystack. OER adopters need to allow sufficient time for this process.

Haystacks by John Pavelka is licensed under CC-BY.

Challenge 2: Quality Control ConcernsBecause OER doesn’t need to go through formal vetting and curating processes, adopters need to evaluate the quality of resources.

Quality Control 4 by tnarik is licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Challenge 3: Scarcity of OER in Some DisciplinesSome disciplines have many existing OERs and have an active OER community. In other disciplines or content areas, OER are still emerging.

Simpson Desert by tensaibuta is licensed under CC-BY.

Challenge 4: May Need to Think About Your Course DifferentlyIncorporating OER into your course may mean a shift in thinking about your course design and delivery. Particularly if you are switching from a traditionally published textbook

Dell Technology Camp 2013 by Dell's Official Flickr Page is licensed under CC-BY.

Challenge 5: Institutional Understanding and SupportAdoption takes time, effort, and support. Institutions are grappling with how to recognize the contributions of faculty engaged in OER work.

Square peg round hole by Jeff Sandquist licensed under CC-BY.