Make a Broader Impact: Consider OER!

We all recognize that the cost of textbooks has risen dramatically over the last 40 years, increasing at four times the rate of inflation since 2000. While these rising costs impact all students, researchers have noted that historically underserved student populations are the most impacted. Open educational resources (OER), such as textbooks and other learning materials freely available through an open license, help to reduce the financial burden on students, narrow performance gaps, lower failure rates, and level the academic playing field—while still supporting attainment of learning outcomes.

The use of OER has well-documented benefits for students. Overall, OER adoption results in improved end-of-course grades, particularly among historically underserved, part-time, and Pell recipient students. Open educational resources can help increase affordability and completion, as well as decrease attainment gaps and DFW (D, F, and Withdrawal grade) rates for all students [PDF]. Multiple studies show positive student and faculty attitudes regarding the utility, quality, and relevance of OER. Faculty who adapt open-source resources for their courses report that they’re not just saving students money, but also improving their courses along the way.

Contrary to common misconceptions, many open educational resources have gone through rigorous peer review. High-quality, peer-reviewed open resources can be found on sites like OpenStax, BCCampus or Merlot. As higher education institutions struggle to contain rising costs, and to recruit and retain students amidst demographic shifts, OER can be an asset not only for individual courses but also entire programs of study. For example, in a recent press release, OpenStax announced a collaborative project that will provide a comprehensive free online curriculum consisting of 8 peer-reviewed textbooks for nursing education in spring 2024. This ambitious OER Nursing Essentials (O.N.E.) project has the potential to transform nursing education and beyond.

Is OER Right for You?

How many times have you had to ‘shoehorn’ a textbook into your course, skipping chapters, adjusting assignments, or supplementing content to better align course materials with your learning objectives? Open educational resources are released under an open license that protects the intellectual property rights of the author while giving others permission to use and adapt as they see fit, so they offer you a head start in customizing your course. Many open resources feature modular formats, making it easier to combine content, modify assignments, and keep up with emerging trends. Customization is the superpower of OER!

How Can You Get Started With OER?

First, you can check out our very own Drexel University Library’s Open Education Resources Library Guide. This guide offers helpful tutorials, FAQs, evaluation criteria, and much more.  Our dedicated librarians are available for consultations and support.

There is a wealth of open educational resources available to you and your learners. It can be quite overwhelming. You can check out Stenger’s 10 Open Educational Resources You Should Know About which provides a brief description of each resource. You may also want to check out the numerous events occurring March 6-10 in celebration of International Open Education Week. Now in its 11th year, Open Education Week is a global event with a singular purpose: raising awareness of open education by showcasing innovations in open resources and practices. This global event offers a wide variety of live and asynchronous events, presentations, resources, and opportunities to connect with colleagues from around the world. These connections can also help you get started. Finally, in our own backyard, the Teaching and Learning Center will be hosting two OER workshops in the Spring Quarter where you can hear from colleagues here at Drexel who have adopted OER in their courses.