OER Research Hub overview

Thompson Rivers University26 May 2015

Presented by Beck Pitt B. de los Arcos, R. Farrow,B. Pitt, M. Weller

oerresearchhub.org

@OER_Hub

CC-BY 4.0 Bea de los Arcos

oerresearchhub.org #oerrhub @OER_Hub

• 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

tinyurl.com/OERevidence

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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

Project Co-PILOT

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Data

• 20+ surveys;• 60+ interviews with educators

OER experts & learners;• 6 focus groups;• Impact statements

Sample

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7,498 responses from 182 countries:44.4% informal learners,28.4% formal learners, 24.3% educators,2.9% librarians;

50.7% female; 48.3% male;65% speakers of English as first language;11% declare a disability;34% hold a postgraduate degree;35% use OER in Science.

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‘OER increase student satisfaction with the learning experience’

%

%

%

‘OER lead to improved student grades’

%

%

Impact of OER on student performance: non-grade related aspects

“Over the course of an entire semester all the kids turned in on average 82% of their homework, which is significant for me as an instructor because that made me feel that what I was asking them to do at home, (…) whatever it happened to be, that they saw the meaning in doing that.”

“The greatest impact comes when I share the MERLOT website with students. They instantly connect with others who share their best practices. Then they develop their own best practices to share with their students and colleagues. There is such a great ripple effect when people are willing to share; especially when the information is easy to locate.”

“In what ways, if any, has using OpenStax College textbooks impacted on your students?”

(OpenStax Survey 2014-2015)

“…Open Stax has provided an opportunity for all of my students to have a textbook.”

“It gives them breathing room. Many are cash

strapped. When they must choose between

food for their children, gas to get get to

work/school OR purchasing a book, books lose.

Having a free book permits them the luxury of

having information at their fingertips, without an

associated cost. They LOVE to read the book

on their phones. I've seen them in the hall,

cruising through the text on phones and tablets.

Sometimes, it just isn't "cool" to be seen

studying a book..... But no one gives you a

second glance if you are looking at your phone!

So, you can be "nerdy" and no one will know!

They love the search feature on the digital

book.”

“The two things I hear the most

are the convenience and the cost.”“Overall savings of $100,000 per year.”

“They no longer struggle with short loan copies

of the text rushing through learning and

skimming a book they can't afford to buy and

they very much seem to feel ownership of the

resource and to value it.”

“They have become independent learners since they have the resource with them always.”

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79.8% of educators adapt OER to suit their needs

OER allow educators to better accommodate diverse learner needs

“The problem where I teach now is that we have no money; my textbooks, my Science textbooks are 20 years old, they’re so outdated, they don’t relate to kids (...) so I pick and pull from a lot of different places to base my units.”

“I will maybe look and find an instructional video that’s maybe 2 or 3 minutes long that gets to the point better than I could, and I would use it, or I will look for lessons and if they are for Grade 5 or Grade 3 I don’t use all of it, I just adapt it, I take out what I don’t want and rearrange it.”

“What I do is I look at a lot of free resources but I don’t usually give them directly to my students because I usually don’t like them as much as something I would create, so what I do is I get a lot of ideas.”

• I’ve created resources for teaching 38%

• I’ve created resources and published them online under an open license 15%

• I have added a resource to a repository 27%

Use of repositories

Reflection

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‘I use a broader range of teaching & learning methods’ 64%

‘I reflect more on the way that I teach’ 59%

‘I have broadened my coverage of the curriculum’ 59%

‘I more frequently compare my teaching with others’ 44.5%

“It used to be that when I thought about preparing for a lesson I would look at a book and see what they did and I then would kind of teach a lesson similar to it but now I can go online watch a video or look at somebody else’s material that they put out there, see what they’re doing and either modify what they’re doing and bring it

into my classroom or just get a totally different perspective on it and allow my students to get multiple perspectives on a topic.”

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

(OpenStax Survey 2014-2015)

“It has led me to explore other open source material and other ways to

help my students receive a quality education at low cost.”

“Because I've got a high-quality primary

source of information, I've got more time

to find supplements, labs, to do activities, and to have discussions with my

students. My instructional practice has

definitely improved since I'm not having to seek out high-quality sources of

information and have a trusted source.”

“I use the textbook more during class time for small

group work, since students are more likely to have it

with them.”

“I am teaching the way I want to teach, in the order and flow

that I want. I am free of any text book. The book is a

resource...The book no longer drives the course. I produce the

curriculum. The book is my servant. I am not its servant.”

“Changing to this new book gave me the impetus to flip my classrooms. After all, I was going to have to re-align material...... so why not take the plunge?”

“As a result of using OpenStax College (OSC) textbooks, are you more or less likely to do any of the following?”

(OpenStax Survey 2014-2015)

95.7% of educators who use OSC textbooks are more likely to recommend OpenStax College textbooks to fellow educators/teachers (n=44)

82.2% of respondents are more likely to discuss using OSC materials with their institution’s administrators (n=37)

Nearly three quarters of respondents who use OSC textbooks are more likely to use other OER for teaching (73.9%, n=34)

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Do students save money using OER?

%

Do institutions save money using OER?

“Down the road they may. Students talk to other potential students. When they find out that teachers care about cost and readability, they are more likely to choose your college”

“Since we are all using online version, the school saves a lot of paper and money”

“Without any doubt my students are saving money! Only one has purchased a copy of the textbook - everyone else uses their laptop, tablet, or prints out what they want.”

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57% of informal learners already have a degree

41% of formal learners used OER to try university-content level before signing up for a paid-for course

89% of all learners choose OER for the opportunity to study at no cost

OER Impact Maphttp://oermap.org

Data Explorer

Thank you

OER_Research_Hub@open.ac.uk@OER_Hub @BeckPitt

in service of The Open University