Post 47: Open Educational Resources (OER)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using OER

Open Educational Resources is digital content available for free over the internet. Instead of physical textbooks, learners today prefer consuming information or learning from an e-book, website or Youtube video. "If course content it's not digital, it is as if he does not exist. If it is not digital, we can't access it from our phones, tablets, and laptops, or the cloud. Students turn first and most frequently to the content in applications that are available with a digital devices.... Students enjoy seeing how what they are learning links to current events that's building links to current events into discussions, blogs, and announcements supports the exploration stage of early grappling with core course concepts. So the best practice includes encouraging students to make good use of Internet sources." ( Boettcher & Conrad, 54) Many schools are getting on the OER bandwagon to save their students' money on expensive textbooks.

Advantages of OER

1. Since the digital content is free, then using free digital content for your online class is cheaper than having students buy an expensive textbook.

2. OER, free digital content appeals to learners who are visual learners, audio learners or hands on learners because OER comes in many forms, the traditional text (e-book form) for visual learners, audio and hands on (video, podcast) for hands on learners. Teachers like the flexibility of free digital content.

3. Learners do not have to carry around heavy textbooks in back packs and just need a Kindle or phone for all educational resources.

4. Learners like being able to be doing other things such as driving (audio-books), taking care of children, or even exercising while looking at an e-book on their gym bike. Learners love the convenience of having their textbook on the internet everywhere they want to be.

5. Students love being able to use their digital devices to access their information. Some may not have the time or patience to read an entire book.

6. Sources on the internet tend to be more current than what is available in a textbook.

7. Students love the immersive interactive environment of an e-book which would have links to other websites and students would then be able to scroll to many websites to learn the material.


Disadvantages of OER

1. Information may be fragmented or incomplete. You get bits and pieces of your unit and students do not get the same amount of information as from a textbook.  For this reason, many teachers do not like OER because the information is fragmented.

2. English majors may not get access to more recent stories that are under copyright so may not be available on the net. Some literature websites like Project Gutenberg which has digital older literature available online for free do not like hordes of students from one school using their site all at once.

3. Even if you do find recent literature online, how do you know it was not uploaded illegally and how do you know it does not violate the copyright of the author?

4. I was not able to find much Asian American Literature online when I wanted to find samples of Asian American Literature for my Asian American Literature class.

5. The light that comes from the internet interrupts the students' sleep pattern so if a student studies OER late at night, he/she may not be able to get to sleep. Physical books are more restful on the eyes than internet sources and students retain more information when they read a physical book than when they read an e-book.

6. OER takes revenue away from hard-working professors who write the classroom textbooks to earn a living.

7. Faculty have to spend more time looking for literature links and if these literature links become dead, then faculty have to scramble to find similar links for students as a class is running. Whereas if students buy the Norton Anthology to begin with, then there would be no more problems with broken links. And if students like digital content, The Norton Anthology does come as an e-book. Most textbooks come with supplemental websites to attract the tech-savvy student.

In my book, I think OER has many possibilities and OER does open a whole world of information for students, but for me, I think OER should be used as a supplemental resource in addition to the physical textbook especially for English majors because not all the classics are online. I still prefer my Literature students to study the old Norton Anthology book and then use online resources as a supplement to the old Norton Anthology book so students get the best of both worlds, the interactivity of the web and the completeness of information from the physical textbook. However, these days, many professors make their physical textbook available in many formats such as an e-book so students have the choice of either getting an e-book or the physical textbook. I think the e-book is less expensive than the physical textbook, so digital content is cheaper than traditional paper content. Still, I wonder if more students do prefer e-books, doesn't that cut down on how much the professor makes on his textbooks?

Boettcher, Judith & Conrad, Rita Marie.  (2016)  Online Teaching Survival Guide. Josey-Bass Press.

What do you use in your classrooms? Do you use an e-book? physical textbook? Only OER? Only a physical textbook? What is your preference and why?