The Rise of OER: A Look at Equity and Quality
/by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
The spring semester has started and students are back to the classroom. And with this return to the classroom comes some of the debate over the physical and the virtual that has been brewing recently: in-person versus remote classes, print books versus ebooks, and the effectiveness of using Open Educational Resources (OER).
Over the last several years, higher education has witnessed a rise in the use of OER, though adoption plateaued slightly in the 2019-2020 school year as faculty focused more on pivoting their lessons plans to remote learning. As noted in our recent publishing predictions, we expect to see more adoption and creation of OER materials because of the proven value of OER in making higher learning more equitable.
Yet while access to materials might become more equitable, adapting to digital instruction can still create a learning divide. In April 2021, Oxford University Press published “Education: The journey towards a digital revolution,” a global report looking at technology in education, prompted, in part, by the pandemic forcing institutions, publishers, and educators to pivot online and to using digital resources.
The experts noted in the report that socio-economic barriers impacted the effectiveness of digital learning and that those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds have fallen more behind with this technological shift. With that in mind, the report suggested that “curricula needs to evolve so that learners develop the core skills needed to…become ‘digitally fluent.’” That suggests that, perhaps, more investment needs to be made on all sides to ensure the effectiveness, access, and comprehension of digital content.
In turn, it is important to make sure they are easily used and understood, but also that the quality is comparable. In an opinion piece in Inside Higher Ed, Stuart Barbier, professor of English at Delta College in Michigan notes that he is supportive of students saving money on high textbook costs, but is concerned about the value of the content. “Rather, the driving factor should be quality and suitability for meeting the course’s outcomes and objectives and best serving our students’ learning needs,” cautions Barbier.
Even with these concerns, digital transition seems to be in full swing, with many universities focusing on larger initiatives to implement OER across disciplines. Jessica A. Magaldi, J.D., Ivan Fox Professor and Scholar of Business Law at Pace University, has been curating OER materials since Spring of 2021 as part of a wide university campaign to move toward OER.
Magaldi has long been focused on the equity for her students, allowing them to use older editions of textbooks in years past before creating OER materials. While Magaldi was able to pull together course materials from free textbooks online, YouTube videos that illustrate concepts, and publicly available cases and statutes, she noted “it will be a little more confusing for students in that they won’t be able to just crack open one book and read one clearly defined chapter each week.”
Though she hasn’t had any complaints from students, Magaldi notes that “even with my careful curation and presentation of the materials, it takes a bit more effort to follow than a traditional text.”
For publishers, professors, and librarians, the drive and desire to make quality content available to all students is growing. Taking into account some of these concerns around the adoption of current OER materials from the user perspective, there appear to be new opportunities for education publishers to help address these challenges.
KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. is your source for Higher Ed content development and digital solutions. To find out more about elearning and how we can help you build your digital portfolio, download our free report or email us at info@kwglobal.com.
