The Future of Education?

The Benefits and Challenges of Open Educational Resources

Cheryl Stanley, M.Ed.

Great Falls College

Montana State

University

Benefits of OER

Cost and Availability

0Saves Money0 Not only for students but for instructors

0Levels the playing field0 Resources are available no matter your income level or

locale

Accessibility

0Students and instructors worldwide have access to an incredible wealth of resources

0 Information can be found at the click of a mouse0Reaches a greater audience with the opportunity for

peer review and greater improvement of information

Independent Learning

0Learning can take place on your schedule through open online courses

0Quality courses are available for free for those people that just want to learn more about a topic or prepare for an upcoming course

0Low income students and those in countries and areas where education is limited can access resources through the internet

Challenges

Quality

0Who is vetting the resources?0 Is the source valid?0Determining the quality and relevance of the work

can be challenging.

Understanding OER

0The licensing of OER materials can be confusing0 Knowing what and how materials can be used will help

to rectify this.0 Does there need to be an OER course on OER before

resources can be used? (insert wink and smirk here)0Who is going to fund the creation of OER and it’s

upkeep?

ReferencesChae, B. (2013). How to Use Open Educational Resources (OER) – Winter Cohort 1. January 2013

Open; Open Professionals Education Network (2013). Find OER. Found on the World Wide Web at open4us.org/find-oer/