Benefits and Challenges of Using Open Educational Resources

By Jean PauleyJuly 2016

Benefits of OER

• Increase access to material and the ability to share globally.

• Ability to freely use and adapt material.• Promotes the sharing of knowledge as a public

good-accessible to everyone.• Improves quality through wide distribution and

the opportunity for peer review.• Opportunity for large savings to the cost of

education.

Challenges of OER• Finding quality, relevant and accessible material from an

overwhelming amount of choices available.• An large investment of time is needed for faculty to create,

continually revise and share materials.• Institutional support is needed to sustain faculty time and

effort and to provide professional development.• Technology compatibility-material created with software in

one institutional setting may not be easily used in another setting.

• Education is needed regarding the culture of sharing-to reduce the fear of creators of losing the rights to their work.