OERPros & Cons

By Jodi Harms

The BENEFITS of OERLeveling

the Playing

FieldInstructors in communities

that are smaller, less

affluent, rural, or

experience some

disadvantage due to

conditions, have equal access to resources

Leveling the

Playing Field

Instructors in communities

that are smaller, less

affluent, rural, or

experience some

disadvantage due to

conditions, have equal access to resources

Cost Savings

Students save money by using free

or inexpensive

materials making

education more

accessible.

The BENEFITS of OER

Leveling the Playing

Field

Instructors in communities

that are smaller, less

affluent, rural, or experience

some disadvantage

due to conditions, have equal access to resources

Cost Savings

Students save money by using

free or inexpensive

materials making

education more accessible.

Consistent with the

Direction of Education

Education is becoming more

and more digitized - it is a

natural progression to

be able to access, present

and use materials

online. The freedom of OER makes it easier and therefore more inviting.

The BENEFITS of OER

Leveling the Playing

Field

Instructors in communities

that are smaller, less affluent,

rural, or experience some

disadvantage due to

conditions, have equal access to

resources

Cost Savings

Students save money by using

free or inexpensive

materials making education more

accessible.

Consistent with the

Direction of Education

Education is becoming more

and more digitized - it is a

natural progression to be able to access, present and use materials online. The freedom of OER makes it

easier and therefore more

inviting.

Mobility and Portability

Access and search can

happen anywhere there’s internet access

bringing education to

places where it once was not and creating a

global learning/teaching

community.

The BENEFITS of OER

Leveling the Playing Field

Instructors in communities

that are smaller, less affluent,

rural, or experience some

disadvantage due to

conditions, have equal access to

resources

Cost Savings

Students save money by using

free or inexpensive

materials making education more

accessible.

Consistent with the

Direction of Education

Education is becoming more

and more digitized - it is a

natural progression to be able to access, present and use materials online. The freedom of OER makes it

easier and therefore more

inviting.

Mobility and Portability

Access and search can

happen anywhere there’s internet access

bringing education to

places where it once was not and creating a

global learning/teaching

community.

Collaboration of

Knowledge

Sharing and open Creative

Commons licensing

encourages building upon work that is

already started encouraging

evolution in the materials. There

is boundless potential in this

type of collaboration.

The BENEFITS of OER

Buy InWill all see

the value in

sharing? It’s not

likely that all will

want to give up

intellectual

ownership.

The CHALLENGES of OER

Buy In

Will all see the value in

sharing? It’s not

likely that all will want to give up intellectual ownership.

Quality

As OER ages and material evolves, how will updates

and quality be

maintained?

The CHALLENGES of OER

Buy In

Will all see the value in sharing? It’s

not likely that all will

want to give up

intellectual ownership.

Quality

As OER ages and material

evolves, how will

updates and quality be

maintained?

Organization

OER is a mountain of

material that can be cumbersom

e to navigate

and discourage

use.

The CHALLENGES of OER

Buy In

Will all see the value in

sharing? It’s not likely that all will want to

give up intellectual ownership.

Quality

As OER ages and material evolves, how will updates

and quality be maintained?

Organization

OER is a mountain of material that

can be cumbersome to navigate

and discourage

use.

Time & Resources

to Contribute

Uploading content can

be an overwhelming task, costing institutions money and

time. Grants have been

available for getting

started, but will that

continue?

The CHALLENGES of OER

Buy In

Will all see the value in

sharing? It’s not likely that all will want to

give up intellectual ownership.

Quality

As OER ages and material evolves, how will updates

and quality be maintained?

Organization

OER is a mountain of material that

can be cumbersome to navigate

and discourage

use.

Time & Resources

to Contribute

Uploading content can

be an overwhelming task, costing institutions money and

time. Grants have been

available for getting

started, but will that

continue?

Sustainability

In addition to the

sustainability of quality and resources to

make contributions,

is it economically viable to give

away education?

The CHALLENGES of OER

ConclusionOER is a beautiful concept and ideally it will continue. However without addressing the challenges, it will be nearly impossible to sustain. Some things cannot be controlled, like the goal for total buy in – people have their own opinions and perspectives, which is human nature and a basic right – but some of the challenges to the project could be controlled with effort. Defining responsibilities and addressing the systematic challenges of organization, protocol, and maintenance will be the key to sustaining OER.

With the promise of benefits on a global scale, it is a worthy undertaking!