how to make oer work for faculty
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How to Make It Work for Faculty: A study of how Washington community and
technical college faculty use Open Educational Resources
Boyoung Chae & Connie BroughtonWashington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Research Questions
The purpose of the study is to investigate the adoption of Open Educational Resources within the WA college system.
• How do faculty members in WA CTC system perceive OER?
• How do faculty members in WA CTC system currently use OER for their teaching practice?
• What types of support do faculty members in WA CTC system require to make OER more usable and beneficial to their teaching practice?
Methodology
• Mixed method study– Conducted the State-wide survey and received
780 responses.– Will conduct the follow-up phone interviews with
the survey participants.• Participants– Faculty who teach regular quarter-based classes in
the Washington state community or technical college
Preliminary findings 1
Yes83%
No17%
Have you heard about Open Educational Resources?
Preliminary findings 2
Faculty Perception of OER
• Most participants understand the fundamental idea that OER is about sharing free customizable resources for educational purposes.
• The key words that identify OER– Free (mentioned 150 times)– Open– Low cost– Customizable and Adaptable– Shared
Preliminary findings 3
Yes67%
No33%
• Have you had a chance to search for OER in your discipline?
Preliminary findings 4
• Reasons given for not searching OER– Didn’t know where to start.– Unclear as to what search terms to use.– Department chooses the book from the publisher.– haven't made time.– I write my own texts
Preliminary findings 5
Yes60%
No40%
Have you used any Open Educational Resources (OER) in your teach-ing practice?
Preliminary findings 6
I have heard of OER (83%)
I have looked for OER (70%)
I have used OER (67%)
Preliminary findings 7
• Reasons given for not using OER– I could not find resources pertinent to my course content.– The quality of the OER I found did not exceed my current
choice of materials.– I found quality resources, but they were not aligned with
the level/scope of my course.– I use materials I wrote myself.– I do not have time to experiment with using OER in the
classroom.– I find it a bit overwhelming when searching.
Preliminary findings 8
• Types of OER used by faculty ranged widely:1. Videos2. Reading materials3. Open textbooks4. Images5. Course activities
• Most faculty adopted an individual course item. Only a small number of faculty adopted a whole course package.
Preliminary findings 9
Benefits faculty experienced in using OER
• reduces the cost of textbooks to my students.• provides me with wider access to quality educational
resources.• enhances my intellectual and pedagogical creativity.• encourages me to really ponder my course objectives.• frees me from the worries of a traditional textbook.• offers me peace of mind knowing that I do not have to
ask for a permission.
Preliminary findings 10
Favorite OER places to find OER
• YouTube • Khan Academy• wamap.org• Ted Talks• Open Course Library• Flickr• Saylor• MIT OpenCourseWare• Purdue OWL • Open Learning Initiative• Wikipedia• Merlot• OpenTextbookStore.com
Preliminary findings 11
How did you become aware of Open Educational Resources (OER)?
• From colleagues• From presentations at the state-wide conference• From independent research• From presentations at the local department faculty
gathering
Preliminary findings 12
Motivation in looking for and using OER • I am always looking for new and innovative
ways of teaching.• I want to help students save money for their
course materials.• I am always interested in providing more
access for the students.• It coincides with my philosophy in education.
Preliminary findings 13
Benefits on students from using OER
• A majority of participants agreed that using OER – increases learners' participation in class discussions.– increases learners' interest in the subjects taught.– increases learners' satisfaction with the learning
experience. – increased independence and self-reliance– increases learners' engagement with lesson content.
This survey question was provided by OER Research Hub (http://oerresearchhub.org/)
Preliminary findings 14
However,
• A majority of participants disagreed that using OER– leads to improved student grades.– increases collaboration and/or peer-support amongst
learners.– leads to learners becoming interested in a wider range
of subjects than before they used OER.
This survey question was provided by OER Research Hub (http://oerresearchhub.org/)
Preliminary findings 15
Support needed from the college or state
Absolutely needed• More training opportunities in OER.• More professional development activities in OER.
Necessary• More information on OER.• More connection to faculty OER community.• Endorsement from your department or school that encourages the use
OER.• More opportunities to share what you have built.• More opportunities to create open educational resources.
Preliminary findings 16
The areas of information in OER faculty most seek
• where to find quality OER.• where to get help in using OER copyright
issues.• how to determine if a resource is openly
licensed.
