Adopting Open Educational Resources – a Case Study

By: Louise Lee, MEd, MA.

Questions

What types of educational resources (i.e., textbooks, course kits, learning software) are used at BCIT?

Do students find these resources expensive?

Open Educational Resources

4Rs Revised, Remixed, Reused, Redistributed

Potential Benefits

enhance material quality (Hilton & Wiley, 2012)

promote personalization

support knowledge and resource sharing (Comas-Quinn, et al., 2011)

reduce costs (Hilton III, Robinson, Wiley & Ackerman, 2014)

increase accessibility

Background

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program

a 2-month intensive program

advanced language proficiencies

80% + business, finance and economics

Reading curriculum

A textbook focusing on college writing skills

Content not localized

Photocopies of other textbook and academic journal articles

Consistency issues

Lack of efficiency

Background

OER Adoption Project

Goals

replace the course readings with OER

drive teaching and learning innovations

promote a culture of sharing and collaboration

contribute to greater efficiency and consistency

Process

follow Saylor’s model (Shoop, 2012)

draft reading outcomes

review existing materials

search for OERs

produce assessments

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Project DeliverablesCourse kit in print and digital format

Benefits

Replace existing materials partially with OER

Better meet the students’ academic needs

Lower the cost by over 50%

Improve accessibility

Greater consistency across classes

Some level of organization learning

Adoption Barriers

Lack of understanding about OER among instructional staff & senior management

Lack of rewards & recognition

Full potential of reusability and revisability not realized

Some instructors prefer to create / select their own materials

Thank you!