Open educational resources in the United States: Insights from university foreign language directors

Abstract

This study reports the results of a survey completed by 155 university foreign language (FL) directors in the United States (US) during Fall 2012. Survey respondents come from a variety of institutions and direct a range of FL programs. The objectives of the study are to (a) determine what FL directors know about open educational resources (OER), (b) understand respondents' perceived benefits and challenges of using OER, and (c) determine what resources and support are critical to establish or expand the use of OER in FL courses in the US. Results indicate that while 66% of FL directors do not recognize the term OER, many are in fact utilizing them. Those who incorporate OER in their FL courses state they do so to go beyond what is offered in traditional, print-based textbooks suggesting that OER represent more authentic and relevant content. While few (26%) respondents indicate intellectual property concerns, many note challenges such as finding OER at the appropriate level for students, time involved in creating and using OER, and training others (e.g., teaching assistants) how to use technology-oriented OER. The paper concludes by highlighting additional training and resources to more completely and successfully incorporate OER into FL curricula.