Open Educational Resources Projects Research Articles

Adoption and development of OERs and practices for self-directed learning: A South African perspective

The use of open educational resources (OERs) within the broader context of open educational practices (OEPs) has many advantages, including the potential to result in self-directed learning, as students take responsibility for their learning. However, despite their vast potential, the promise of OERs has not yet translated into concrete and tangible OER adoption and development in the Global South, and specifically in South Africa. It also seems that the flow of OERs is mostly in one direction, namely from developed to developing country contexts. The purpose of this article is to determine what the literature reveals regarding OER adoption and development in South Africa. Within an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative approach, we used an integrative literature review to collect data. Two large databases were consulted, and after applying the chosen inclusion and exclusion criteria, six relevant texts were found and discussed. The findings reveal that limited research is available. Furthermore, it became clear that OER planning, adoption and development is a process, and that collaboration and institutional support and leadership play important roles in the state of OER adoption, development and projects. The literature also revealed that despite the benefits of using OERs, there are stumbling blocks to adopting and using OERs in South Africa. Based on the findings, it is suggested that OERs for self-directed learning should advance and develop teaching and learning, by supporting flexibility and openness of learning resources. Lastly, to grow the use of OERs, with specific reference to South Africa, ongoing research on the state of OER adoption and development is needed.

A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews on Open Educational Resources: An Analysis of the Legal and Technical Openness

Almost all open educational resources (OER) definitions encompass key concepts such as the 5R activities and open licenses. However, little attention is given to the technical aspects and tools that allow the user to interact with these resources. This study aims to answer five research questions regarding (a) 5R activities, (b) open licenses and intellectual property, (c) technical aspects, (d) tools for developing OER, and (e) the topic of sustainability. To answer these questions, a systematic review of systematic reviews on OER was conducted following the reporting checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Sixteen studies were eligible and included in this review. The main findings suggest that although most studies did not mention the term 5R exactly, they mentioned related terms, such as share and adaptation. There was also a tendency toward focusing on more legal issues than technical aspects. Besides, most of the studies that mentioned tools discussed them as platforms to access OER, not exactly tools that encourage users to develop or adapt resources in an easy way. In relation to sustainability, several studies highlighted the relevance of developing sustainable OER models, but only a few suggested approaches to sustain an OER project. Therefore, with this article, we hope to raise awareness of the importance of the technical openness and tools that might contribute to fostering users’ engagement with the OER, helping them to act as producers and contributors rather than mere passive receivers.

Open educational resources and the 2020 AACSB accreditation guidelines

The revised Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) 2020 Standards inspire the deployment of a sophisticated Assurance of Learning program and promote important impact expectations. Open Educational Resources (OER) projects offer a unique opportunity for public institutions to work together to promote the important standards of learner success and societal impact. A collaborative OER project between two public, accredited institutions, produced outcomes supporting several standards in the revised 2020 AACSB Accreditation Guidelines. While access to quality education is a core AACSB value, the impact of OER in business education is understudied. This article highlights how the benefits of OER flow beyond student satisfaction and access, to include prospects of accreditation success for an institution.

Open Pedagogy and Transdisciplinary Thinking: Making Connections Through a Visual Artefact Self- Study

The examination of teacher educators’ own practices through self-study research has been well established and self-study aligns with the growing interest in open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy. This research used a self-study method of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) OER project, Form and Function(s): Sustainable Design meets Computational Thinking. Two research questions were pursued: How do open pedagogy attributes contribute to a transdisciplinary STEAM OER pedagogical stance? And how can one apply visual artifact self-study as intentional critical friends to examine professional value and to enhance pedagogical self-understanding? The researcher analyzed visual artifacts of created and documented images that supported the process of her interrogations of transdisciplinary curriculum development and open pedagogy. The sites and modalities of the artifacts were questioned and answers recorded using a critical visual methodology. Klein’s (2008, 2018) transdisciplinary thinking and the eight attributes of Hegarty’s (2015) open pedagogy frame the interrogation of the images and the connections made to curriculum theorizing. The self-study provides conclusions to the role of visual artifacts when conceptualizing the gestalt of complex ideas and relations. The self-study provides warranted assertions for open educators and researchers interested in the practices of transdisciplinary, open curricular and pedagogical processes alongside the eight attributes of open pedagogy, and the role of critical self-reflection.

Opening up Educational Practices through Faculty, Librarian, and Student Collaboration in OER Creation: Moving from Labor-intensive to Supervisory Involvement

This article presents a case study for transitioning library-led open-educational resources (OER) initiatives away from labor-intensive activities to a model where library personnel focus on project management responsibilities. This shift from labour-intensive activities, such as workshops and training sessions, led to more collaborative partnerships with faculty and students to produce OER projects. In particular, we focus on labour implications for the various stakeholders involved and the sustainability of these initiatives. We describe several initiatives undertaken by the Ohio University Libraries to encourage open educational resource adoptions and projects, including a grant-funded initiative to provide support services for faculty creating OER. That funding, which was awarded to enhance undergraduate education, has been used to support the development of five OER projects that have directly involved students in the creation of those materials. We provide an overview of the various ways in which students have become involved in OER creation in partnership with faculty and librarians and discuss the impact these partnerships have had on student-faculty-librarian relationships and student engagement. Among these projects are an Hispanic linguistics open textbook created using only student-authored texts, student-generated test banks to accompany existing OER materials for a large-enrollment art history course, and several other projects in which hired student assistants are helping faculty to develop content for open textbooks. This article helps to address a gap in the literature by providing transparency regarding the personnel, costs, and workflow for Ohio University Libraries’ OER initiatives and addressing potential areas of concern surrounding student labour.

Promoting Open Educational Resources: A Beginner’s Playbook

The awareness, adoptions, adaptions, and publishing activity around Open Educational Resources (OER) vary greatly among institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania and beyond. This article provides an overview of the paths and efforts, described as preparation and plays, that I have taken to promote OER at Kutztown University and around the state as an OER Specialist for the Affordable Learning PA Project. While this article focuses on tactics for beginning OER promotion, readers who are further along in their efforts to develop and support OER projects may find some new ideas to explore and expand upon at their institutions.

Open Education through Interactive Training Material

This work has come about as a result of an attempt to improve educational practices by taking advantage of research experience in the field of additive manufacturing technologies. As a result of the work carried out, an open educational resources project was developed by the group of educational innovation Ingeniería de Fabricación of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It consists of interactive teaching material adapted to the new international standards that regulate these technologies and includes a methodology for selecting the most appropriate technology for the specific application. In this paper, we describe the co-creation process that was carried out with students in order to develop the resources, as well as a description of the didactic material itself together with its interactive elements. An analysis of its use in various academic courses is included and also an evaluation of its impact, both in teaching a specific subject and in other training activities. Our findings indicate that the process has led to the production of didactic materials that present content in an attractive way and which, in combination with active methodologies, noticeably improves students’ learning experiences, and is also considered a successful experience in open educational practices.

Bridging the Gap: Rural Librarians’ Journey to Understanding Students’ Role in OER Outreach

Literature detailing how small, rural academic institutions have implemented initiatives for Open Educational Resources (OER) is limited; most articles focus on university systems, state schools, and R1 research institutions. Our outreach—conducted over the past year at rural Adams State University—initially targeted faculty. However, after encountering silence from this group, we sought to explore the largely uncharted possibility of engaging students as advocates. While our continuing efforts will certainly seek to promote faculty awareness and address barriers to adoption, we have come to understand two things: that faculty engagement is not enough and that student advocacy can play a great role. The librarians’ first goal in our nascent OER initiative is to educate and empower the student body, and by doing so, help bridge the gap between librarian advocates and faculty adopters. Our initial outreach effort to measure student awareness and interest had two aspects: in-person and online. The first step was to talk to students face-to-face about textbooks and associated costs, while informing them of the existence of OER and alternative textbook sources. The second step was to engage students online via a survey. This helped us gain insight into their perspectives regarding the problems they face due to textbook prices. Going forward, we plan to create a two-pronged outreach method: some continuing education of faculty, but more emphasis on students. Our goal is to equip students with the knowledge to advocate for OER to faculty, administration, peers, and even family. Final takeaways from this project include the need to involve students in outreach efforts and to encourage them to participate in future OER planning and projects. No single group can solve the problem of outrageous textbook costs; it is only by faculty, librarians, and students working together that Adams State University will join the nationwide OER movement, not just as participants, but as contributors.

Toward a Critical Approach for OER: A Case Study in Removing the ‘Big Five’ from OER Creation

This paper examines the role of proprietary software in the production of open educational resources (OER). Using a single case study, the paper explores the implications of removing proprietary software from an OER project, with the aim of examining how complicated such a process is and whether removing such software meaningfully advances a critical approach to OER. The analysis reveals that software from the Big Five technology companies (Apple, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft) are deeply embedded in OER production and distribution, and that complete elimination of software or services from these companies is not feasible. The paper concludes by positing that simply rejecting Big Five technology introduces too many challenges to be justified on a pragmatic basis; however, it encourages OER creators to remain critical in their use of technology and continue to try to advance a critical approach to OER.

Open educational resources (OER) Edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders

This paper contributes in establishing Open Educational Resources (OER)-based edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders. It restages the emergence of OER in higher education institutions (HEI) within educational entrepreneurship, hereafter edupreneurship. Then, it presents three analyses based on OER literature and environments. Finally, it introduces four edupreneurship business models for different stakeholders. First, it reviews the literature to identify and align existing OER business models to deduce a pattern linking OER provision, organizations’ investments and users. Second, it applies Osterwalder and Pigneur’s business canvas (Osterwalder and Pigneur 2010) to analyze value creation opportunities and activities within OER environments. Third, it examines OER environments to elicit the elements used for generating revenue streams. Consequently, four edupreneurship business models are provided to resolve some of the complexities found in OER environments and support stakeholders in deciding their ventures. The paper concludes that OER environments process unstable amalgamation of networks that continually changes to adapt to the complexity, multi-functioning and multi-processing of customers and providers’ motivations. OER projects disrupt the educational market worldwide. This is not due to the OER humanistic view of Openness as ‘free of charge’ and ‘for free use’ but to Openness being a premium business value that creates edupreneurship opportunities within the digital age.

Expanding libraries’ application of Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose the incorporation of Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) into library digital initiatives, specifically open educational resources (OER). CTML contains established principles that maximize the impact of teaching material through optimizing the use of multimedia. As educators, librarians should adhere to CTML principles and advocate for them to be followed when library digital resources are created locally or used in a classroom. The paper looks at an OER title as an example and outlines changes based on CTML for improvements.Design/methodology/approachA literature review is used to identify the areas of librarianship where CTML already is in use and where research is lacking.FindingsThere are many opportunities to apply multimedia learning theory to aspects of library operations. The author should consider multimedia learning when making digitization decisions. OER projects should be accomplished with these principles and general learning theory principles in mind. Libraries should be aware of CTML principles when creating all digital scholarship.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is based on a literature review, not on research done specifically on this topic. It includes specific recommendations to improve an OER title as an example of what should be done on a broader scale.Practical implicationsLibrarians are educators should be aware of learning theory and particularly multimedia learning theory as learners often are not directly accessible to provide feedback. Design is critical to learning and this paper provides practical recommendations for application.Originality/valueOther papers have considered CTML as applied to online tutorials and instruction in general. Significantly less attention has been paid to applying CTML and cognitive learning theories outside of traditional instruction. This paper advocates expanding the use of cognitive learning theory and CTML to digital resources produced by the library.

Adoption and Diffusion of Open Educational Resources (OER) in Education

The concept of open educational resources (OER) is becoming increasingly prominent in education. However, research circles around defining OER, content and forms of OER, technological features of OER, and the importance of the issue or lack thereof. Vital aspects such as the notion of the adoption of OER by educational practitioners remain underdeveloped. In order to shed light on the question of how to adopt OER in education, the article presents findings of a meta-study which critically reviewed 25 state-funded OER projects located in Germany. All projects aimed to anchor OER across educational areas, such as school, higher, continuing, and vocational education. The meta-analysis disclosed a mixed bag of results. Although interest and willingness to deal with OER can be confirmed, reservation is rooted in the complexity of the topic and especially the legal concerns. However, the findings demonstrate that OER can by no means be ignored in the context of teaching and learning in a digital world. Integrating OER as an aspect of existing educational training should, therefore, be encouraged. Concerning future design recommendations, to conflate OER with other pressing issues and to simultaneously emphasise its added value explicitly is a promising approach. Moreover, establishing central contact points in educational institutions to accompany and monitor actors on their path to OER appears to be necessary. Notwithstanding the concrete measures, any strategy must operate persistently at both levels, institutional and practical, embracing all relevant stakeholders.

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGH SCHOOLS: OVERCOMING IMPEDIMENTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

With today’s computer and telecommunications technologies, every young person can have a quality education regardless of his or her place of birth. This is the dream that Open Educational Resources (OERs), when viewed as a right rather than a privilege, are directed to realize. For developing countries, we propose a type of OER initiative that leverages not only technology but also the skills of the in-class teacher, that utilizes not only the Internet but also lower-tech delivery platforms, and that is created not only by developed countries of the West but also by educators in many countries worldwide. We outline the design of a cross-border, collaborative learning and teaching system called the Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies Initiative (BLOSSOMS), with an associated partnership network established for its implementation in developing countries. BLOSSOMS is to develop a large, free repository of blended-learning video modules for high school math and science classes, created by giftedvolunteer educators from around the world and designed to offer potentially transformative learning exercises that will enhance critical thinking skills and retain students’ interest in math and science. The initiative has been designed and developed within a multinational network of partner organizations in the developing world, a characteristic that distinguishes it from many other OER projects.

Creating OER: One librarian's experience with a homegrown open educational resources project

A description of a library's participation in a project to create locally produced Open Educational Resources (OERs) for use in specific classes is offered. Included is a general description of the...

The freedom to teach: Using open educational resources in your courses

Open educational resources (OER) are “high-quality, openly licensed, online educational materials that offer an extraordinary opportunity for people everywhere to share, use, and reuse knowledge” (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, n.d.). These materials range from full courses and course materials (including textbooks) to streaming videos and software.Innovative educators recognize that OER offer an exciting alternative to restrictive (and expensive) textbooks by allowing them the freedom to select quality content that better fits their pedagogy. Students benefit from more engaged learning, lower costs, and the ability to revise and remix these materials as assigned by their instructor. The virtual sky is the limit!The 4-VA Collaborative at George Mason University recently announced a competitive grants pilot program (February, 2016) to incentivize Mason instructional faculty to identify existing, or create new, open digital content and incorporate it into their course(s). The proposed interactive presentation session will build on the Mason 4-VA pilot program. A team of four faculty members from Mason and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College will lead the session. Discussion topics to be covered include defining OER, describing Creative Commons licenses, strategies for integrating OER in courses, and identifying quality materials. Participants should bring a laptop as they will be divided into small groups during the session to familiarize themselves with websites that aggregate OER content applicable to their discipline(s).By the end of this session, participants will be able to:Define OER,Understand Creative Commons licenses,Outline the first steps in planning an OER project, andIdentify some online sources for discipline-specific OER.We anticipate that OER collaborations will emerge from this session. ReferencesMason 4-VA Collaborative. (February, 2016). Course Redesign: Using Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from http://4va.gmu.edu/call-for-proposals William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (n.d.) Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/programs/education/open-educational-resources

Donor funded Open Educational Resources: making the case

Purpose – This paper aims to explain the concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) and how libraries can make a good case to donors to fund these types of projects. Design/methodology/approach – The literature reveals that donors have been willing to support projects that save students money on textbooks. Course reserves have traditionally been a popular model. More recently, libraries have found funding for OER initiatives. These types of initiatives are discussed and several case studies of donors currently funding OER projects are examined. Findings – Donors, internal and external to the library and to the university, have shown an interest in funding projects that reduce textbook costs for students. They have funded course reserves in the past and have begun to fund OER projects. There are both qualitative and quantitative methods to induce donors to fund these types of projects. Practical implications – Libraries have traditionally supported the mission of access to information and for academic libraries that has sometimes included access to textbooks. Course reserves are a limited solution, whereas when an OER replaces an expensive textbook, it is a viable solution for all students. Social implications – OERs have strong social implications. Any person, whether associated with an institution of higher learning, or not, can access the information in an OER and learn the associated content. Originality/value – There is some literature on specific OER projects. This paper aims to fill a gap in the literature, specifically on how to approach donors regarding OER initiatives.

The role of OER localisation in building a knowledge partnership for development: insights from the TESSA and TESS-India teacher education projects

Open educational resources (OER) continue to support the needs of educators and learners globally. However, it is clear that to maximise their potential more focus is needed on reuse and repurposing. Accordingly, adapting OER for local contexts remains one of the greatest challenges of the open education movement, with little written about how to support communities of users to adapt materials. This paper emerges from the ongoing debate around education quality in low income countries (LICs), taking as its focus two OER projects led by the Open University –TESSA and TESS-India. These projects have collaboratively developed core banks of OER for teacher education that respond to regional and national priorities and pedagogies. In this paper we explore how the projects have supported localisation of the OER and how processes of OER localisation can contribute to more equal knowledge partnerships in the pursuit of education quality.

A practical model of development for China's National Quality Course Plan

AbstractThe Chinese National Quality Course Plan is a large‐scale project by the Ministry of Education, which has led to the production of more than 12 000 courses from some 700 universities since 2003. This paper describes in detail the purpose of the project and how it is organized at all levels, including how individual courses get selected at university level, provincial level and national level. The paper discusses the similarities and differences between the Chinese project and Open Educational Resources projects around the world, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare. The Chinese project is unique, not only because of its highly centralized organization and funding but also because its purpose is not just to produce open resources but to use the production of open resources to drive curriculum reform and quality improvement in Chinese higher education.

The challenges of OER to Academic Practice

The degree to which Open Educational Resources (OER) reflect the values of its institutional provider depends on questions of economics and the level of support amongst its academics. For project managers establishing OER repositories, the latter question - how to cultivate, nurture and maintain academic engagement - is critical. Whilst participating in the HEFCE funded institutional OER programme (2009-10), the team at the University of Exeter encountered a range of academic opinions on OER, and followed many as they rode the peaks and troughs of opportunities and challenges that this kind of work entails. This paper discusses the potential motivators for academics in providing OER material, as an understanding of these is helpful when introducing the subject to new contributors, and when informing planning decisions - both procedural and financial - so that key incentives are protected. We will also look at the reasons for some academic scepticism surrounding OER and how these views can be - if not tempered - then at least understood with a view to informing future policy. The enthusiastic advocacy that some academics possess in relation to OER is borne of their vision of its use. It is important to ensure that the high priority objective of obtaining academic support does not overlook instances where there is tension between this vision, and what can be achieved with available resources. We will discuss the key information that OER managers need in order to mitigate this scenario. OER projects do not work in isolation from internal competition and it has been essential to be sensitive to the conflicting pressures that academics have to contend with in their work profile. We will discuss the value of establishing where an OER project sits within an institution&rsquo;s educational and research strategies, and its financial framework, the questions to ask and the signs to spot to obtain this information, and how managers can use this knowledge to make decisions, avoid pitfalls and garner support.<span>&nbsp; </span>This will involve addressing academic initiatives and reward schemes, including a discussion of how IPR and copyright can not only present challenges but also play an important role in motivating and demonstrating academic engagement. This paper draws upon formal and informal engagement with a range of stakeholders who have been involved in the project, including the many colleagues who attended several staff development sessions.

Building Open Educational Resources from the Ground Up: South Africa's Free High School Science Texts

The relatively new field of open educational resources (OER) is just now receiving more widespread attention and study. As such, there have been few opportunities thus far to share knowledge across program, organizational and national boundaries. This article presents a case study of the development of the South African project Free High School Science Texts (FHSST). Based on observations of project activities, a survey and interviews with project participants, and analyses of project documents and web-based content, the study sheds light on the challenges and successes of creating OER content within a process built from the ground up. On the whole, the case study revealed that project sustainability is an iterative, evolutionary process that works best when able to adapt to a continuously changing environment and shifting community needs. Ultimately this involves instilling practices within the organization or project that imitate the very characteristics of the resources that OER projects serve to create and support. Editors: Stephen Godwin (Open University, UK). Reviewers: Stephen Godwin (Open University, UK) and Agnes Kukulska-Hulme (Open University, UK).