Role of Campus Community in Open Educational Resources: The Benefits of Building a Collaborative Relationship with Campus IT and Distance Education Departments

Abstract

Campus partnerships are an increasingly common and dynamic entity on college campuses. To successfully achieve institutional goals, campus partners must collaborate and create communities of practice. Open educational resources (OER) is a rapidly growing area in higher education due to the increasing costs of attending college and increased student debt. By providing access to OER, colleges are supporting student success, increasing retention of students, and, most importantly, contributing to reducing students’ higher education debt. OER initiatives often fall under the purview of the academic library. While the library is an excellent place to start an affordable learning initiative, identifying pertinent campus partners and forming communities of practice will improve awareness of OER and increase OER adoption. This study utilized a survey to identify levels of current awareness and adoption of OER among faculty at a master’s comprehensive four-year public university in Pennsylvania. The goal was to provide a benchmark for assessing future progress. It also provided structure and a programming plan for a newly developed collaboration between the library, distance education, and Information Services & Technology. Survey results assisted the partnership in identifying ways to collaborate and implement strategies to increase awareness and adoption of OER on campus.