1. 1. Benefits and Drawbacks of OpenEducational ResourcesAuthor: Alisha Williams
2. 2. Educations Most Noble Purpose:Self-ActualizationBenefits to the learner as anindividualHow OER fits in with thoseideals Self-discovery andrefinement of ideas,thoughts, and personalphilosophies Greater connection to theworld at large, increasedparticipation as a citizen Exposure to the great worksof humanity; inspiration tocreate something out ofhuman expression Increases likelihood ofcontributing somethingworthwhile to futuregenerations Knowledge of otherperspectives leads to betterproblem solving OER is equal opportunity:infinite perspectives are allowed OER is international, drawingon experience and knowledgefrom across the globe OER persists when othercourses become inaccessiblereconnect with what youvelearned years later OER reinforces the idea thatlearning is for life and isntmerely a stint in college that isquickly over OER encourages naturalcuriosity to dig deeper, to look inunusual places, to adoptinnovative practices thattranslate to personal andprofessional domainsBenefits and Drawbacks to Open Educational Resources by Alisha Williams
3. 3. Drawbacksand Ways to Overcome Them Quality varies Materials aredecentralized Materials aresometimespoorly indexed There are manyuntappedresources (thevast majority ofthe worldsteachers andexperts) People simplydont knowabout OER Start an OER review group at yourcollege or in your department. Keepadding vetted resources to a databaseor website little by little Join large OER websites like Merlot IIand get involved to improve qualityand organization of materials Encourage colleagues to submit theirlessons to OER repositories andcreate your own Include OER sources in presentationsand communications with propercitation. This will increase awarenessand acceptance at multiple levelsBenefits and Drawbacks to Open Educational Resources by Alisha Williams
4. 4. Final ThoughtsOER can be overwhelming: the amount of them, the varying degrees of quality,the lack of selection in your particular topic, the vast array of websites that hostthemHowever, I believe the key is to pace oneself and take it slow. If contributorsand users focus on quality, the end result will be entirely worth the effort, evenif it takes several months or even years for a dependable stash of materials tobe located, sorted, and saved for later use. Also, it will become even moreimportant that instructors begin contributing to the amount of high qualityresources already available, in order to ensure full topic coverage andcontinued relevance of the contentBenefits and Drawbacks to Open Educational Resources by Alisha Williams