2. What are open educational
resources?
•Open educational resources are materials for
teaching or learning that are either in the public
domain or have been released under a license
that allows them to be freely used, changed, or
shared with others.
3. What are the benefits in using OER?
• Saves costs for students - The use of OERs instead of traditional textbooks
can substantially reduce the cost of course materials for students.
• Grants access to more quality choices - OERs can be improved quickly
through direct editing.
• Scalability - OERs are easy to distribute widely with little or no cost.
• Expanded access to learning - Students anywhere in the world can access
OERs at any time, and they can access the material repeatedly.
• Improves visibility of the course - Quick availability of material in many
subject areas increases the timeliness and/or relevance of the material
being presented.
4. What are the challenges in using
OER?
• Sustainability of OER – Creators receive no incentive to continue to
produce materials.
• Lack of training opportunities for educators – Not all institutions have the
training capacity to properly equip educators.
• Language and/or cultural barriers – Many OER’s are only in the English
language.
• Accessibility & OER, as well as technological issues – Some students my
have technological limitations. Also, internet is required.
• Lack of human interaction between teachers and students - OER material is
created to stand alone, missing out on the discussion and instructor
feedback.