Open Educational Resources

In my opinion, the way we educate should always be changing because we are constantly learning and discovering new ideas to improve our practice. So, I wonder why we have become stuck in the same system of using the same overpriced resources. Most textbooks are out-of-date, and more often than not, they do not hold as much relevance as they once did. An alternative to students purchasing these overpriced textbooks could be to shift to the system of open education. Open education is the use of open educational resources “to support learning, or the open sharing of teaching practices with a goal of improving education and training at the institutional, professional, and individual level” (BCcampus). There are eight essential dimensions of the open learning design. These dimensions are what create the foundation of an open pedagogy. The eight dimensions are, participatory technology, people, openness, and trust, innovation and creativity, sharing ideas and resources, connected community, learner-generated, reflective practice, and peer review. When these dimensions are evident, open educational practice is more likely to be achieved.

What I like about open education is that it is more of an informal practice, where learners can be in control of creating the materials they use in the course. It can be a collaborative process, where students can create resources, and share their knowledge, instead of only being consumers (Stommel). Open educational resources (OER) results in resources that are useful and applicable to the students, allowing them to have the best learning experience. Another benefit of using OER is that the resources and materials are likely easier for students to find and even more accessible for students. OER is also a great way to promote the sharing of knowledge between colleagues and experts in the field. Now that we have access to multiple resources on the internet, it would be an ideal situation that students would be able to access free resources online, versus from an expensive textbook.

(Image 1- Susan Yin from Unsplash)

During my time in University, I have spent at least $200 on textbooks for just one class. Some of the courses that I have taken have even required that I purchase more than one textbook. Most of the textbooks that I have purchased I’ll likely never use again, which has felt like a huge waste of money. Now that’s not to say there haven’t been some useful textbooks, however, for the most part, I’ll never open some of them again. It is shocking how much money goes toward textbooks that have lost their relevance. If more institutes make a shift and opt to use OER, I think many students would benefit from this, not only for cost sake but because it also fosters more of a personalized educational experience. Where students have a say in the resources they use, that will enhance the quality of their education. It also provides students with the ability to assess and plan their future and present educational decisions (BCcampus).Image result for textbook vs computer clipart

(Image 2)

What I thought was interesting during my time completing my BED, is that in elementary and middle schools they have moved away from using textbooks as resources. Coming from a background of having used them when I was in school, I initially thought, “Where am I going to get the information to teach my students from?” And the thing is there are so many other resources out there to use. Having access to OER gives you the freedom to personalize the resources and also to teach in other ways, so it is not straight out of the textbook! Which I always thought was incredibly dull. If we alter the resources we use, we can also change our student’s educational experience. If OER is used teachers can find out what their students are like first, before assigning the resources to use for the class (Stommel). In my time teaching at the elementary and middle school level, I haven’t had to use a textbook as a resource once. Instead, I have had access to so many other resources from my peers, colleagues, and online.

(Image 3- Jonas Jacobsson from Unsplash)

Another thing I like about the shift toward freely available open educational resources is that students can also have a part in creating them! I think that the resources we use should always be updated because nothing should remain too stagnate. Change in education and with resources is good! Allowing students to have a part in the resources that are developed gives them a sense of ownership and accomplishment with what is created.  I think it is important to share resources, ideas, and knowledge. To develop an environment where personalized learning can occur, “educators need to be able to access, reuse, and change, learning materials, to make them relevant in specific, contexts” (Hegarty, 2015). When we share resources, we create a larger selection of materials for teachers and learners to use and access. A point that resonated with me from Bronwyn Hegarty’s article, Attributes of Open Pedagogy: A Model for Using Open Educational Resources was that if peers are creating and “scrutinizing resources” the quality of the resources will be strengthened and of more value. OER allows us to enhance and add new ideas, which is great because sometimes we catch things that others don’t notice. I hope that Universities can shift toward using OER more because it truly does benefit learners in many ways, such as being cost-effective and providing students with relevant learning materials.

References:

BCcampus. (n.d.). What is open pedagogy? Retrieved from https://open.bccampus.ca/what-is-open-education/what-is-open-pedagogy/

Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of Open Pedagogy: A Model for Using Open Educational Resources. Educational Technology, 55(4), 3–13. Retrieved from JSTOR.

Stommel, J. (n.d.). Textbooks, OER, and the Need for Open Pedagogy. United States: PressBooks.

Feature Image: Jonas Jacobsson (Unsplash) Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/0FRJ2SCuY4k

Image 1: Susan Yin (Unsplash) Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/2JIvboGLeho

Image 2: Retrieved from https://www.istockphoto.com/ae/vector/concept-online-learning-computer-and-textbooks-with-graduate-cap-icon-line-gm1137821193-303553515

Image 3: NESA by Makers (Unsplash) Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/IgUR1iX0mqM