The Benefits of Sharing: Student Success and OER

As mentioned in the FAQ near the beginning of this course, there are studies and examples of OER success in the literature, but the movement is so new that the body of published work available is quite small in comparison to that of other pedagogical philosophies and practices. In the last few years, however, more and more articles have begun to surface, proof of the movement's currency. In addition to this, the variety of countries involved in the published research say something about the global nature of the initiative.

The development, sharing, and modification of open educational resources can benefit student success in several ways:

1. Collaboration and sharing of materials improves consistency in instructional content, which makes students more likely to transition successfully from one course to another, whether taught by permanent or adjunct faculty.

2. The relationship between the student and the instructor, as well as the college as a whole, is crucial for students to be open to ideas and ready for success. The character of the institution, and the instructor, is somewhat elevated in the eyes of students who recognize the work that has gone into alleviating some of their financial burden.

3. Student learning improves when faculty is well-trained, informed, and engaging with emerging technologies/trends. An example of this is reviewed in a 2011 article published in Distance Education. The case study examines a mathematics test program that was implemented across several institutions of higher learning in South Africa. Among other positive results, instructors that chose to participate in the collaborative work reported that they learned more about their field and more about teaching methods in general over the course of working with peers to develop the materials (Sapire and Reed 204).

4. Materials that are thoughtfully developed via collaboration and modified over time begin stronger instructional tools and continue to improve with subsequent usage. This directly translates into higher-quality student interaction with core concepts and, ultimately, mastery of competencies, especially when those materials are freely available online because of their open licensing. Some published research seems to take this benefit for granted, promoting the responsible adaptation and improvement of materials (Ngugi 283).

5. The use of open textbooks has also been found to improve student success in a very basic way: more students actually get the book, which translates into increased engagement and higher completion rate. A 2012 study in the European Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning presents the outcome of a year-long program in which several core courses at Virginia State's School of Business switched to open-license textbooks to see if that would encourage more of their students to actually get the book. The faculty had found that less than half of their students were buying the "required" textbooks. The study finds that after switching to free, digital textbooks, the percentage of students accessing the course material nearly doubled. There was also a corresponding 7% decrease in D's, F's, and withdrawals.

6. Finally, developing digital materials can facilitate the implementation of a "flipped" classroom model. A 2011 article published in Distance Education confirms that making materials like lectures and individual practice activities available online not only allows for their sharing among educators but gives students access to these materials outside of class so that classroom time can be dedicated to intensive instructor-student and student-student interaction (Ngugi 282-3).

Works Cited

Feldstein, Andrew et al. "Open Textbooks and Increased Student Access and Outcomes." European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (2012): n. pag. Web. 18 Aug. 2013.

Ngugi, Catherine N. "OER In Africa's Higher Education Institutions." Distance Education 32.2 (2011): 277-287. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Aug. 2013.

Sapire, Ingrid, and Yvonne Reed. "Collaborative Design And Use Of Open Educational Resources: A Case Study Of A Mathematics Teacher Education Project In South Africa." Distance Education 32.2 (2011): 195-211. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Aug. 2013.