Pros and Cons of OER

1. Open Educational
Resources
The Pros and Cons
Maggie McKinney

2. Why OER is Beneficial
• Accessibility – OERs provide a wide range of materials, in a broad
set of subjects to anyone wanting to learn no matter their economic
status, social situation, or geographic location.
• Cost – Learners can access knowledge previously without the burden
of high text book costs. Faculty can provide quality resources from a
broad range of sources without having to spend money to obtain them.
• Open Source Mentality – As information evolves and changes and as
more educators hone the content, richer, more comprehensive content
can be offered.

3. What are the Challenges
• Quality – Without a way to ensure that all OER materials are providing
accurate information in a way that is conducive to learning low quality
materials can easily be mistake for high quality materials.
• Funding – Because these resources are “free”, there is a question of
the economic sustainability of providing these resources.
• Overwhelm – Without proper organization, learners and educators
alike could experience “too many choices” and quit due to overwhelm
or not knowing where to begin.