AOER Blog - Research Guides at University of Northern Colorado

Malaika Michel-Fuller When I first began learning about open education and open educational resources, I was immediately intrigued by the prospect of providing affordable and high-quality services that support authors, curriculum designers, and educators while also considering financial obligations of students. I am a strong advocate for increasing the affordability of education for students, and I speak personal experience; my undergraduate course materials range across disciplines such as Economics, English, and Anthropology, and access to the wealth of texts and resources my professors prescribe reflects a heavy price tag. Serving on UNC’s OER committee has allowed me to further engage in dialogue and critical inquiry about the topic alongside higher education professionals, and through this process I have developed a greater understanding of the vital role students play the implementation and sustenance of OER on an institutional campus.

Promoting open resources is a natural fit for student advocacy, given concerns about the rising cost of higher education. Students are interested in saving money and excited by the opportunity for student work, ranging from class projects to undergraduate manuscripts being made publicly available, reusable and revisable by others. UNC houses a multitude of engaged student governance groups and leadership organizations that can serve as a valuable asset at the table when in conversations with administrators, state legislators, and other prominent stakeholders. As a 3-term member of UNC’s Student Senate, I draw parallels between the legislative advocacy my organization engages in and endeavors by campus professionals to institute OER on campus and cultivate an open education culture. As our institution continues to shift and grow, I look forward to collaboration between students and the educators, administrators, and campus members who deliver us the quality education and services that define our student experience at UNC.

Dr. Cassie Bergstrom (CB), Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences, and Dr. Molly Jameson (MJ), Interim Director of CETL, recently sat down to talk about OER.

MJ: Thanks so much for talking with me today, Dr. Bergstrom. So, can you tell us a little bit about what OER means?

CB: Sure! OER are open educational resources or materials that can be used in classes free of cost. These resources can also be modified by faculty to best fit their goals for classes. The result is materials that are adaptable and closely fit the course's goals and have the additional benefit of free access for both students and faculty.

MJ: That sounds helpful for both instructors and students. What are some of the benefits of using OER for instructors?

CB: For instructors, benefits include adopting or adapting materials that most closely fit the learning objectives they have for their students. If students don’t need to buy a textbook, it also means that all students (regardless of their financial situation) will have access to the course materials that are essential for learning. An additional benefit for instructors is the possibility of working with and sharing materials with other instructors, creating a sense of community and shared purpose.

MJ: I can totally see that. I also really like your point about how OER results in materials that fit the course goals, which is an important part of strong course design. I know when I used regular textbooks, there were often chapters I would skip or sections within chapters that I did not use. But with OER, I can use only specific chapters or even specific sections from open access texts. How about the benefits of using OER for students?

CB: For students, the primary benefit is avoiding the costs of traditional textbooks! Textbooks are often not covered by financial aid and that means that students who might not be financially secure may choose to share or go without required textbooks, impacting students’ learning and grades. It is quite challenging to learn the content when you cannot afford the book, so OER allows all students access to the material.

MJ: Traditional textbooks ARE expensive! I remember several years ago a student told me that they had to choose between buying textbooks and paying their rent that month. That’s ridiculous! Because OER are open and affordable, it sounds more accessible to students from diverse backgrounds, like first-generation students or financially insecure students. Is that right?

CB: That’s right. Using OER in classes reduces the barrier of high-cost instructional materials for all students, but they have the highest impact on students who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Often OER are integrated right into the course’s Canvas shell, making them easy to find and accessible. Additionally, students can access the OER right at the beginning of a course, not needing to wait for a textbook to ship or for financial aid to come in to access the course materials.

MJ: That is so important for student success. It sounds like OER are beneficial to everyone involved. Are there any downsides to using OER?

CB: There are some things to be aware of. First, it’s important to make sure that students know how to access the materials for the course. If students have patchy internet access at their homes, it might be beneficial for them to be able to download the resources. Second, it does take a bit of time on the instructor’s end to find and integrate OERs into a preexisting course. However, we do have some wonderful resources at UNC to help with this process!

MJ: Why do you think some instructors are hesitant to make the jump into OER? Or why are there not more instructors using OER?

CB: Those are great questions. I think some instructors get very connected to the textbooks they use for courses, particularly if they have used the same text for years. There’s also a lack of knowledge about where to find OER materials that would be a good fit and how to collect and utilize these materials in courses. Finally, trying out new things can be a bit scary! Instructors have often used textbooks both as students and faculty, so adapting to a new way to consider course materials can be a bit intimidating.

MJ: As an instructor who uses OER, what is your biggest piece of advice for people who want to adopt OER in their classrooms?

CB: Try it out! You can take small steps towards using OER, like trying them out for one unit or one topic in a class. Also, I highly encourage folks who are interested in learning more about OER to attend some of the activities during Open Ed week or to reach out to people in their departments who have used OER or Nancy Henke, our textbook affordability librarian at UNC.

MJ: What can centers that focus on teaching and learning, like CETL, do to enhance and improve OER use to supplement teaching and learning?

CB: I think integrating information about OER into multiple areas of content would help improve the visibility and understanding of what OER entail and why they are beneficial. Not only do they help support students and student learning, but they can enhance the fit between instructional materials and instructors’ learning objectives for students.

MJ: Dr. Bergstrom, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today about OER. I have shifted several of my classes to OER, and after our conversation today, I see a few places where I can start to make some more small changes. I am also very thankful for your advice for CETL, and I look forward to continued collaborations to enhance OER, teaching, and learning here at UNC!

image of Willy Maxwell, UNC Bookstore manager Open educational resources (OER) learning materials are openly licensed digital educational materials that can be used instead of traditional textbooks and other courseware. The concept has been available for some time but is emerging now as a viable option to reduce the cost of learning materials while still providing rich, up-to-date content.

A recent study finds that one in nine students currently uses OER materials, and of that group, more than half use it to supplement print or digital textbooks. Instructors that consider price when selecting course materials may achieve the goal of reducing costs by assigning more OER. Professors can design courses on their own by building on available content from OER aggregators that host large collections of open resources. The process requires careful vetting to ensure the materials are high quality, peer reviewed and formatted properly.

Another option is to adopt OER content curated by a third party. For example, Lumen Learning reviews content from a variety of sources, selects the best available OER and adds timely updates, learning design and technical support to produce effective courseware for introductory courses, general education and developmental education available through an LMS. Working with Follett, students are charged only $10 to $25, which represents a significant savings compared to the cost of traditional learning materials. OER have already proven to increase student success measured by course completions and grades earned of a C or better. Students using OER enjoy an average of 83 percent savings with the same or better learning outcomes.

Becky Smith Open Educational Resources (OER) expand educational opportunities and are a great tool for all students. These resources aim to remove legal, financial, and technical barriers that can prevent access. But how do they measure up for disabled students? The truth is that many OER are not designed with inclusivity in mind for disabled students. From a disability support program perspective, there is a long way to go before digital materials are accessible to everyone. In the meantime, there is some good news. OER are still a better choice than traditional resources for college students with disabilities and here are some reasons why:

Permissions granted by an open license remove legal barriers to adapting and customizing OER, making it possible to create learning environments that are more flexible and robust for all students.
OER offer the opportunity for instructors to curate materials authored by a diverse set of individuals, including those who identify as disabled, normalizing and reducing stigma while sharing viewpoints that have historically been marginalized.
Unlike commercially published materials, OER that are adapted to meet accessibility requirements can be retained and freely shared with communities, reducing duplicative work at and across institutions.
OER adoption can reduce costs, which benefits all students, but can be especially beneficial for students with disabilities who may face additional financial pressures.
It is more common for OER to be shared in formats that can be adapted for accessibility, unlike proprietary publisher content where editable files are notably difficult to obtain.

There has also been a significant push by university disability service offices and educators to encourage campuses to adopt universal design principles when developing courses and materials. Universal design is a concept for designing and delivering products or services that are useable by people with the widest range of capabilities. There are seven principles of universal design. One organization that aims to incorporate universal design principles and expand inclusive and equitable practices, specifically for OER, is the Flexible Learning for Open Education or FLOE Project which offers an Inclusive Learning Design Handbook. The handbook is, itself, an OER designed to help others create resources that are accessible to a diverse range of individual needs and learning preferences. Resources like the FLOE Project and others are great tools for creating inclusive learning resources without having to reinvent the wheel. The key is to be aware of the diverse needs of learners. Whether it is your plan to adopt or design OER please keep in mind inclusivity for all. While all OER are not created equally, there are still benefits for all students over traditional resources.

Thomas, C. (2018, October 8). OER and Accessibility: Working Toward Inclusive Learning. Retrieved from https://sparcopen.org/news/2018/oer-accessibility-working-toward-inclusive-learning/

Open educational resources: A student perspective by Malaika Michel-Fuller, UNC student trustee

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Dr. Cassie Bergstrom (CB), Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences, and Dr. Molly Jameson (MJ), Interim Director of CETL, recently sat down to talk about OER.

Open educational resources: A student perspective by Malaika Michel-Fuller, UNC student trustee

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Dr. Cassie Bergstrom (CB), Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences, and Dr. Molly Jameson (MJ), Interim Director of CETL, recently sat down to talk about OER.

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