Using Open Educational Resources:Benefits and Challenges Jeff NorwoodOER 101

Availability

OER materials are distributed primarily online so there is great potential for worldwide availability. Since the field is so new, however, it can still be a challenge to find well organized and clearly labeled resources. OER resources may also have limited availability to students who do not have easy access to the Internet.

Quality Control

From my limited review it seems that, with a few shining exceptions, the available resources in my field are relatively low quality. I found enough glaring errors to make me wary. The benefit of OER is that these materials are modifiable. Out of date materials may be updated, inaccessible material may be modified to accommodate a student’s needs.

Reduced Cost

This one is mostly a benefit. OER materials can take the place of expensive textbooks, potentially saving students thousands of dollars over their academic career. The only potential challenge I see is that copyrighted materials have been a source of income for teachers as well as musicians, writers and other artists who do not have full time jobs with benefits. This is a larger issue that deals with the emerging new economy, sometimes called “sharing” or “gig” economy.

Creation and Collaboration

I feel inspired to begin creating and sharing materials right away! The potential for collaborating with colleagues near and far is exciting. The challenge is finding the time to actually do the work necessary.

Freedom

Freedom is both a benefit and a challenge. On the positive side, OER allows for a high degree of customization and combination of existing materials to create courses tailored to specific needs of both teachers and students. The challenges include making sure that a curriculum is complete, meets the basic standards of the field, and also an increase in the prep time required.