"Distinguishing the dOERs: Faculty use of Open Educational Resources" was presented by Beck Pitt on 10 March 2015 as part of a BCcampus webinar for Open Education Week with Rajiv Jhangiani and Clint Lalonde.

1. Distinguishing the dOERs:
Faculty use of Open Educational
Resources
BCcampus: Open Education
Week
10 March 2015
Beck Pitt
The Open University (UK)

2. Background

3. CC-BY 4.0 Bea de los Arcos
oerresearchhub.org
#oerrhub @OER_Hub
• 2-year open research project funded by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
• Aiming to build the most comprehensive picture of OER impact
• Open collaboration model across different educational sectors
• Global reach but with a USA focus
• Fellowship Scheme
• Researching openness in the open

4. Keyword Hypothesis
Performance OER improve student performance/satisfaction
Openness People use OER differently from other online materials
Access OER widen participation in education
Retention OER can help at-risk learners to finish their studies
Reflection OER use leads educators to reflect on their practice
Finance OER adoption brings financial benefits for students/institutions
Indicators Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting OER
Support Informal learners develop their own forms of study support
Transition OER support informal learners in moving to formal study
Policy OER use encourages institutions to change their policies
Assessment Informal assessments motivate learners using OER

5. OER Impact Map
http://oermap.org

6. Project Co-PILOT

7. Educator Overview

8. Educator Sample Overview
21.6% of our total respondents 2013- Summer 2014 (n=1382)
41.4% of educators we surveyed are from the United States (n=562)
Educators we surveyed:
• From the United States (41.4%, n=562)
• Teach full-time and face-to-face (47.6%, n=395)
• 42.5% teach K12 (n=571)
• 65.7% are F/T self-employed/employed (n=636)
• Over 80% of educators have a Bachelor degree level qualification or
higher (82.3%, n=1033)

9. 86.3% of educators surveyed told us they adapt OER to suit their own needs
(n=556)
37% of educators we surveyed told us they have created OER for study or
teaching (n=238)
Educator Overview
Top three challenges facing educators using OER:
• Finding suitable resources in my subject area
(55.5%, n=445)
• Finding resources of a suitably high quality
(53.9%, n=432)
• Knowing where to find resources (51.2%,
n=411)
Nearly 80% of
educators told us they
use OER to get new
ideas and inspiration
(79.5%, n=950)

10. Impact of OER on Teaching Practice
As a result of using OER…
• 66.2% of educators strongly agreed or agreed that they use a broader
range of teaching and learning methods
• 60.6% of instructors strongly agreed or agreed with the idea that they had
broadened their coverage of the curriculum
• 60.5% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement that they make use of
wider range of multimedia

11. Educator Overview: Cost Savings
73.8% of educators surveyed told us that they thought students saved money
by using OER (n=135)
48.4% of educators we surveyed told us they thought their institution saved
money by using OER (n=88)
“The school district can allocate the resources
to other areas rather than textbooks”
“In the long run by increased student enrollment and
persistence. Unfortunately, they also see a drop in
bookstore revenue and don’t like it”
Check out the OER Adoption Impact Explorer:
http://impact.lumenlearning.com
Textbook cost savings calculator:
http://openedgroup.org/calculator/index.html

12. Open Textbooks: OpenStax College

13. OpenStax College Overview
http://openstaxcollege.org/faculty
Saved students over $30
million since June 2012
From 40 adoptions in 2012 to
1061 by 2014
1 million downloads of
OpenStax materials
Image and information from OpenStax College’s 2014 Progress Report:
http://openstaxcollege.org/news/our-textbooks-have-saved-students-30-million
CC-BY
First textbook published June 2012
12 open textbooks published to date
iBooks available in 32 countries

14. Educator Sample: OpenStax College
• 77 Respondents in total (have used/use OSC textbooks)
• 73.7% Male (n=56) and 26.3% Female (n=20)
• Over 85% of respondents live in the United States (88.2%, n=67)
• Over 55% of respondents work in a HE/University context (57.1%, n=44)
• 76.6% of respondents do F/T face-to-face teaching (n=59)
• Nearly 70% of respondents have been teaching for more than 10 years (67.1%, n=51)
90.9% of respondents told us they have adapted open educational resources to fit their
needs (n=70)
Finding resources of a sufficiently high quality was the top challenge most often faced by
educators when using OER (65.3%, n=49)

15. “In what ways, if any, has using OpenStax College textbooks
impacted on your own teaching practice?”

16. Based on your experiences as a teacher, to what extent do
you agree with the following statements?
% of educators who strongly agree or agree with the following statements:
"Use of Open Educational Resources (e.g. OpenStax College textbooks) in the
classroom...”
Allows me to better accommodate diverse learners’ needs (67.1%, n=49)
Increases learners’ satisfaction with the learning experience (66.2%, n=49)
Increases learners’ experimentation with new ways of learning (64.4%, n=47)
Increases learners’ engagement with lesson content (61.6%, n=45)
Develops learners’ increased independence and self-reliance (58.1%, n=43)
Increases learners’ interest in the subjects taught (54.1%, n=40)
Leads to improved students’ grades (50.7%, n=37)
Increases learners’ participation in class discussions (47.3%, n=35)
Increases learners’ enthusiasm for future study (47.3%, n=35)
Builds learners’ confidence (45.8%, n=33)
Increases collaboration and/or peer-support among learners (45.8%, n=33)
Leads to learners becoming interested in a wider range of subjects than before
they used OER (42.5%, n=31)

17. “In what ways, if any, has using OpenStax College
textbooks impacted on your students?”
“The resource gave them a sound
understanding of the topic and they
were able to do self-directed study
from it. The result is that seniors
have excelled in their exams.”

18. “In what ways, if any, has using OpenStax College
textbooks impacted on your students?”
“more student engagement
in lab activities and lecture
presentation”
“Students seem
somewhat more
engaged.”

19. “As a result of using OpenStax College (OSC) textbooks, are
you more or less likely to do any of the following?”
96.1% of educators who use OSC textbooks are more likely to
recommend OpenStax College textbooks to fellow educators/teachers
(n=73)
92% of respondents are more likely to make an OSC textbook the
required text for their students (n=69)
80% of respondents are more likely to discuss using OSC materials with
their institution’s administrators (n=60)
Nearly 80% of respondents who use OSC textbooks are more likely to
use other OER for teaching (79.5%, n=58)

20. Concluding Remarks

21. Concluding Remarks
Download our report:
http://tinyurl.com/mhp3js8
Check out our website:
http://oerresearchhub.org
OpenStax College:
http://openstaxcollege.org

22. Thanks for listening!
oerresearchhub.org
http://oermap.org
Twitter: @OER_Hub @BeckPitt

23. in service of The Open University