Why Do Educators Use OER?

Educational systems operate with a fundamental disconnect between practices from the analog world, and the vast potential of the digital world to support more affordable, effective teaching and learning. Open Education seeks to close this gap.

Textbook costs should not be a barrier to education. During the past generation, the cost of textbooks for higher education has increased more than 1500%. College students face steep price tags that can make the cost of learning much higher than the cost of attending a college or university. K-12 schools use books many years out of date because they are too expensive to replace. Using OER solves this problem because the material is free online, affordable in print, and can be saved forever. Resources that would otherwise go to purchasing textbooks can be redirected toward technology, improving instruction, or reducing debt. For reports on how this impacts higher education, see the US Public Interest Research Group.

Students learn more when they have access to quality materials. The rapidly rising cost of textbooks in higher education has left many students without access to the materials they need to succeed. Studies show that 93% of students who use OER do as well or better than those using traditional materials, since they have easy access to the content starting day one of the course.

OER reduces equity gaps. In July 2018, a study from the University of Georgia was published that demonstrated that all students in OER classes saw increased grades, but that the increase was greater for students on financial aid and from traditionally under-represented populations. Further, the Drop/Failure/Withdrawal rates dropped for all students in OER classes, but the DFW rates dropped more for students on financial aid and from traditionally under-represented populations.

Openly licensed materials increase currency and relevancy. Imagine a science textbook that incorporates the latest results from a laboratory, or a math tutorial that incorporates local landmarks into word problems. This and more is possible when instructional materials are created to be shared and improved digitally and legally.

Attributions:

Video: "Why OER?" by The Council of Chief State School Officers is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Text: Adapted from "Open Education" by SPARC, licensed under CC BY 4.0