Open Educational Research And Importance
Open Educational Research
And Importance
Open educational resources are educational materials and resources offered freely and openly for anyone and available under a license that allows users to use, remix, improve and redistribute. Sharing ideas and resources and collaborating on projects as part of a community is key to the Open Education movement.
Open educational resources are innovative not just because they are free, but because of how teachers adopt and creatively adapt them, bringing them to life in the classroom inorder to reach every student.
The most comprehensive definition of OER available today is provided by the Hewlett Foundation:
“Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”
Importance
Open Education Resources (OER) are important for many reasons. One reason, as the above chart illustrates, is the cost of textbooks, which is rising at a rate higher than most other consumer goods. Given the rising cost of tuition at many institutions, many students simply cannot afford to buy textbooks. OER is a way to make sure every student has access to course materials, with cost taken out of the equation.
OER also allows faculty to create material that is customized for their classes. Where most textbooks will have their strengths and weaknesses, OER material allows a faculty member to pull only strong material into their class.
OER also represents an opportunity to have one's own materials enhanced. By allowing material to be modified by other faculty around the world, an OER creator has the chance to see material used in ways never imagined. New sections and chapters can be added and enhanced creating a work stronger than the original. That type of exposure and collaboration is simply not possible with material that lives on a local computer or only in print.
Finally, OER gives faculty a wide variety of material to draw upon for their own classes. Imagine being given a last-minute assignment for an unfamiliar class -- a textbook might help get you up to speed but what about the syllabus? The assignments? The exams? OER gives a wide variety of materials from which to build a class without having to start from scratch.
OER is important because it provides affordable material to students, allows faculty to enhance their own work, and provides faculty with content for classes.
Advantages of using OERs include:
.Expanded access to learning: Students anywhere in the world can access OERs at any time, and they can access the material repeatedly.
.Scalability: OERs are easy to distribute widely with little or no cost.
.Augmentation of class materials: OERs can supplement textbooks and lectures where deficiencies in information are evident.
.enhancement of regular course content: For example, multimedia material such as videos can accompany text. Presenting information in multiple formats may help students to more easily learn the material being taught.
.Quick circulation: Information may be disseminated rapidly (especially when compared to information published in textbooks or journals, which may take months or even years to become available). Quick availability of material may increase the timeliness and/or relevance of the material being presented.
.Showcasing of innovation and talent: A wide audience may learn of faculty research interests and expertise. Potential students and donors may be impressed, and student and faculty recruitment efforts may be enhanced.
.Ties for alumni : OERs provide an excellent way for alumni to stay connected to the institution and continue with a program of lifelong learning.
.Continually improved resources: Unlike textbooks and other static sources of information, OERs can be improved quickly through direct editing by users or through solicitation and incorporation of user feedback. Instructors can take an existing OER, adapt it for a class, and make the modified OER available for others to use.
Disadvantages of OERs include:
.Quality issues: Since many OER repositories allow any user to create an account and post material, some resources may not be relevant and/or accurate.
.Lack of human interaction between teachers and students: OER material is created to stand alone, and since self-learning users may access the material outside of a classroom environment, they will miss out on the discussion and instructor feedback that characterize for-credit classes and that make such classes useful and valuable.
.Language and/or cultural barriers: Although efforts are being made to make OERs available in multiple languages, many are only available in English, limiting their usefulness to non-English speakers. Additionally, not all resources are culturally appropriate for all audiences.
.Technological issues: Some students may have trouble using some OERs if they have a slow or erratic internet connection. Other OERs may require software that students don’t have and that they may not be able to afford.
.Intellectual property/copyright concerns: Since OERs are meant to be shared openly, the “fair use" exemption from the U.S. Copyright Act ceases to apply; all content put online must be checked to ensure that it doesn’t violate copyright law.
.Sustainability issues: Since OER creators generally do not receive any type of payment for their OER, there may be little incentive for them to update their OER or to ensure that it will continue to be available online.
Conclusion
Open Education Resources (OER) have advantages for faculty and students. For students, it all but guarantees access to course materials, and presents a significant cost savings. For faculty, it represents the chance to explore and modify new content and to expand one's pedagogical reach, moving from teaching students around an institution to potentially teaching students from around the world.
By
Sreerag S.
1st Year B.E.D English
SNTC, Nedunganda
