Abstracts
Abstract
Given the upsurge of textbook costs, college students increasingly expect universities and instructors to offer alternatives to traditional textbooks. One textbook alternative is using open educational resources (OER). While OER unquestionably save students money, the question remains whether the adoption of OER (instructional materials) is aligned with open pedagogy (methods). This study investigated 46 undergraduate students’ perceptions of using only OER in an introductory course in a large American public university. As reported by study participants, advantages of using OER include textbook cost savings, access to dynamic and plentiful OER materials, that OER enabling mobile learning, and that OER foster the development of self-directed skills and copyright guidelines. Challenges reported include lacking a tactile sense with OER, slow Internet connections, unclear instruction and guidance, and insufficient self-regulation skills. Course design and implementation considerations were discussed.
Keywords:
- OER,
- Open Pedagogy,
- open education,
- open educational resources
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- Affordable Learning Georgia. (2017). About: ALG statistics, research, and reports. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/ydx4m5kb
- Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Opening the curriculum: Open educational resources in U.S. Higher Education. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yb5k9mbt
- Anderton, B. (2006). Using the online course to promote self-regulated learning strategies in pre-service teachers. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 5(2), 156-177. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y4gnuv36
- Annand, D., & Jensen, T. (2017). Incentivizing the production and use of open educational resources in higher institutions. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed learning, 18(4). doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v18i4.3009
- Babson Survey Research Group (2017). Opening the textbook: Educational resources in U.S. Higher Education. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yaswp264
- Blumenstyk, G. (2015). American higher education in crisis? New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Bonk, C.J., & Lee, M.M. (2017). Motivations, achievements, and challenges of self-directed informal learners in OER and MOOCs. Journal of Learning for Development, 4(1), 36-57. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y5o7mpp5
- Brown, R., & Munger, K. (2010). Learning together in cyberspace: Collaborative dialogue in a virtual network of educators. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 18(4), 541-571. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ920714
- Chu, R., & Tsai, C. (2009). Self-directed learning readiness, Internet self-efficacy, and preferences towards constructivist Internet-based learning environments among higher-aged adults. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(5), 489-501. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y52jzrvb
- Cochrane, T. (2014). Critical success factors for transforming pedagogy with mobile Web 2.0. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(1), 65-82. 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01384.x
- Conole, G. (2013). Designing for learning in an open world. New York, NY: Springer.
- Conole, G. (2014). The 7Cs of learning design: A new approach to rethinking design practice. In S. Bayne, C. Jones, M. De Laat, T. Ryberg, & C. Sinclair (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9 th International Conference on Networked learning 2014 (pp. 502-509). Lancaster University. Retrieved from https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fss/organisations/netlc/past/nlc2014/abstracts/pdf/conole.pdf
- Digital Natives and Intellectual Property. (2008). In Illinois, digital citizen project will track illegal student downloads. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8q7pqfw
- Department of Education. (2018, October 3). U.S. Department of education awards $4.9 million grant to University of California, Davis to develop free, open textbooks program [Press release]. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8agbagk
- Ehlers, U-B, & Conole, G. (2010). Open educational practices: Unleashing the power of OER. Paper presented at the UNESCO Workshop on OER, Namibia. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y2w7ut3a
- edX. (2018). OECx. Retrieved from https://www.edx.org/school/oecx
- Feldstein, A., Martin, M., Hudson, A., Warren, K., Hilton, J., & Wiley, D. (2012). Open textbooks and increased student access and outcomes. European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning, 2, 1-9. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ992490
- Florida Virtual Campus Survey. (2016). 2016 student textbook and course materials survey. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8atoc7h
- Forsyth, D. R. (2016). College teaching. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- Gil, P., Candelas, F., Jara, C., Garcia, G., & Torres, F. (2013). Web-based OERs in computer networks. International Journal of Engineering Education, 29(6), 1537-1550. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y4vxyeeh
- Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of open pedagogy: A model for using open educational resources. Educational Technology, 55(4), 3-13. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y2tpd3ho
- Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(4), 573-590. doi: 10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9
- Hilton, J., Bliss T. J., & Wiley, D. A. (2013). An OER coup: College teacher and student perceptions of open educational resources. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1(4), 1-25. doi: 10.5334/2013-04
- Hilton, J., Gaudet, D., Clark, P., Robinson, J., & Wiley, D. (2013). The adoption of open educational resources by one community college math department. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(4), 37-50. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v14i4.1523
- Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2015). New media consortium (NMC) horizon report: 2015 higher education edition. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8oayoqe
- Kelly, H. (2014). A path analysis of educator perceptions of OER using the technology acceptance model. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 26-42. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1715
- Kop, R., Fournier, H., & Mak, J. (2011). A pedagogy of abundance or a pedagogy to support human beings? Participant support on massive open online courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(7), 74-93. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v12i7.1041
- Lin, H. (2014). Going to college online? A PEST analysis of MOOCs. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 42(4), 369-382. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1125955
- Lin, H., & Kelsey, K. D. (2009). Building a networked learning in wikis: The evolving phases of collaborative learning in a wikibook project. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 40(2), 141-165. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y56tqt7b
- Pitt, R., Ebrahimi, N., McAndrew, Pl., & Coughlan, T. (2013). Assessing OER impact across organizations and learners: Experiences form the bridge to success project. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 3, 1-16. doi: 10.5334/2013-17
- Richter, T., & Ehlers, U-D. (2011). Barriers and motivators for using OER in schools. eLearing Papers, 23, 1-7. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/ybabsc8b
- Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
- Teclehaimanot, B., Mentzer, G., & Hickman, T. (2011). A mixed methods comparison of teacher education faculty perceptions of the integration of technology into their courses and student feedback on technology proficiency. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 19(21), 5-21. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ932211
- UNESCO. (2002). Forum on the impact of open courseware for higher education in developing countries. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/9y8hldg
- Unizin. (2018). About. Retrieved from http://unizin.org/about/
- Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience. Albany: State University of New York Press.
- Zimmerman, B.J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64-70. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/y3vjn5n9