Peer-2-Peer Networks and use of OER at a 4-year Public Research University

Jenni HaymanDoctor of Education student

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers CollegeArizona State University

jlhayman@asu.edu

This presentation was made possible in part by a grant from the Arizona State University Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA)

Purpose and Research QuestionsPurpose:

The purpose of this mixed methods action research is to examine the influence of awareness, support, and peer networks on faculty member adoption of OER at Arizona State UniversityResearch Questions:

1. What is the level of faculty member awareness of OER?2. What are faculty member perceptions of barriers to

using OER?3. How might awareness and support lead to faculty

member adoption of OER?4. How might shared peer-to-peer experiences increase

faculty member use of OER?

Literature of OER

Allen & Seaman, 2014

Florida Virtual Campus, 2012

Lumen Learning, n.d.

MethodThe proposed method for this study is mixed method action research (MMAR) with iterative cycles as follows:

Cycle 0: Semi-structured interviews with faculty members, librarians, and instructional designers.

Cycle 1: Interviews, a formative survey, and small-scale intervention in the form of a webinar for online faculty members.

Cycle 2: Development and delivery of an intervention. Based on Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations model (Rogers, 2003), deliver a contextualized awareness and support campaign for use of OER at ASU. Based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991), design a pre- and post-intervention instrument to measure faculty member intention to use OER.

Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovations

There are five main factors that influence adoption of an innovation, and each of these factors is at play to a different extent in the five adopter categories.

Relative Advantage - The degree to which an innovation is seen as better than the idea, program, or product it replaces.

Compatibility - How consistent the innovation is with the values, experiences, and needs of the potential adopters.

Complexity - How difficult the innovation is to understand and/or use.

Triability - The extent to which the innovation can be tested or experimented with before a commitment to adopt is made.

Observability - The extent to which the innovation provides tangible results.

Leadership and Followers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8MwBZl-Vc

Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior

Icek Ajzen’s Website

DIY Theory of Planned Behavior Instrument

http://people.umass.edu/aizen/

Cycle 0 and Cycle 1 Interviews

Cycle 1 FindingsConcern for Students

“…it’s incredible and ridiculous how much textbooks are, so yes, from that standpoint, not so much the librarian standpoint, there need to be some new models out there for helping people access the knowledge that they need to develop in their programs” (personal communication, December 17, 2015).

“…for decades I used an expensive text that I’m sure lots of students didn’t buy. I always waited a semester after the new edition came out so they could get used books” (personal communication, March 24, 2016).

Cycle 0 and Cycle 1 Interviews

Cycle 1 FindingsFaculty Member Concerns

“I think being aware of the scope of information available in any discipline or range of disciplines is critical. So that’s the main thing for me as a librarian, I think it’s a core university information skill” (personal communication, December 17, 2015).

“The challenge for OER is, I don’t know where to find them. I don’t even really know what they are, and so I was actually going to make an appointment with my subject librarian…” (personal communication, March 24, 2016).

“Well, so who’s going to get into trouble? Am I? Personally? Is someone going to sue me because of my textbook?” (personal communication, March 24, 2016).

ReferencesAllen, I. E. & Seaman, J. (2014). Opening the curriculum: Open educational resources in U.S. higher education. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/openingthecurriculum2014.pdf

Ajzen, I. (1991). Theory of planned behavior. Organization Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211.

Florida Virtual Campus. (2012). 2012 Florida Student Textbook Survey. Tallahassee, FL. Retrieved from http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf 2012_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf

Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Success story: Tidewater Community College. Retrieved from http://lumenlearning.com/success-story-tidewater/

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.UNESCO. (n.d.). What are open educational resources (OERs)? Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en