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Open Educational Resources Impact in Community Colleges
The document discusses a research project led by Dr. Rob Farrow at The Open University, focused on the impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) on student performance, satisfaction, and educational practices, particularly in community colleges. The study highlights that while many educators have used OER, only a minority create and publish their own, with mixed perceptions regarding financial savings and student retention. The findings suggest both positive effects on teaching practices and mixed opinions about OER's impact on student outcomes and institutional policies.
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Open Educational Resources Impact in Community Colleges
- 1. OER Impact atCommunity Colleges Dr. Rob Farrow The Open University Una Daly CCCOER
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- 3. OER Research Hub • Researchproject at The Open University (UK) • Funded by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation for two years • Two professors lead four researchers among a team of ten • Tasked with building the most comprehensive picture of OER impact • Organised by eleven research hypotheses • Collaboration model across different educational sectors • Global reach but with a USA focus oerresearchhub.org
- 4. Keyword Performance Openness Access Hypothesis OER improve studentperformance/satisfaction People use OER differently from other online materials 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 Indicators Support OER adoption brings financial benefits for students/institutions Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting OER 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
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- 8. CCCOER Mission &Goals Promote adoption of OER to enhance teaching and learning • • • Document impact of OER on teaching and learning Promote integration of OER into curricula Share best practices for OER through professional development opportunities. Funded by the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
- 9. 240+ Colleges in16 states & provinces General stuff about OERRH & CCCOER, collaboration
- 10. Research Collaboration Focus onimpact of OER adoption on teaching practice, institutional policies and factors of cost and access Feb-May 2013 May-Dec 2013 Ongoing Faculty Survey Development Survey Deployment Interviews and focus groups with faculty; policymakers; students IRB Process Jan-Apr 2014 Analysis & Dissemination Incorporation of institutional evidence into impact map
- 11. Survey Research inCommunity Colleges • Many community colleges require IRB approval for faculty surveys • IRBs may meet infrequently particularly during academic breaks • IRBs limit approvals to prevent duplication and survey fatigue • The process can take longer than expected - good planning is essential!
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- 15. Survey of CollegeEducators
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- 17. 136 usable surveyresponses were recorded: • • • • • • De Anza College, CA (5) Foothill College, CA (33) Houston Community College, TX (41) Northern Virginia Community College (30) Roane State Community College, TN (13) South Florida Community College, FL (4) This is being supplemented with qualitative data gathered from college visits in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, and California.
- 18. Highest Educational Qualification BachelorsDegree 4% PhD or Professional Doctorate 35% Masters Degree 61%
- 19. Years of TeachingExperience 6% 1% 10% More than 10 11% 7-10 4-6 1-3 Less than 1 72%
- 20. Types of TeachingActivity 60 50 36% 34% No. of resposes 40 29% 30 23% 19% 17% 20 15% 10 0 Part-time blended Full-time blended Full-time Part-time (face to face Part-time face-toand (face to face and Full-time face to Work-based training distance/online distance/online face teaching face teaching distance/online) distance/online) teaching teaching teaching teaching Series1 20 23 26 31 39 46 49
- 21. Patterns of OERUse 80 70 52% 60 Of those that create OER (24%) less than half publish them on an open (CC) licence 50 40 30 24% 18% 20 11% 10 0 I have adapted I have created open educational open educational resources to fit my resources for needs study or teaching I have added a resource to a repository 9% 7% I have created I have added I have added resources myself comments to a comments to a and published repository repository them on a Creative regarding the suggesting ways of Commons (CC) quality of a using a resource licence resource
- 22. • Most respondentswere experienced teachers with postgraduate degrees • A majority teach full-time and are involved in online instruction • Around half have adapted/used OER but only around half of these create or upload OER
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- 24. Types of OERUsed Multimedia content is around twice as popular as other OER (including textbooks) Videos 69.8% Images 64.7% Lectures 38.8% Quizzes 38.1% Open textbooks 37.4% Elements of a course (e.g. a module/unit) 34.5% Tutorials 32.4% E-books 29.5% Lesson plans 25.9% Learning tools, instruments and plugins 25.2% Audio podcasts 23% Infographics Interactive games Whole course Data sets Few reported using a whole course of OER, suggesting they cherry pick resources as needed 18 % 12.2% 10.8% 7.9% Very few are using openly available data to teach
- 25. OER Repositories Used 80% 71% 70% 60% 50% 43% 32%35% 40% 26% 26% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1% 2% 4% 5% 9% 11% 13% 17% 20%
- 26. Factors relevant tochoosing OER The resource being relevant to my particular interests/needs 69% Created/uploaded by a reputable/trusted institution/person 58% The resource having an open license allowing adaptation 51% The resource being easy to download 49% A detailed description of the resource content 48% The resource having a Creative Commons license 48% A description of learning objectives or outcomes being provided 48% Positive user ratings or comments about the resource 43% Use of interactive or multimedia content 43% Having previously used this resource successfully 42% Personal recommendation 42% The resource being recently created, uploaded or updated 36% The length/complexity of the resource 33% Evidence of interest in that resource (e.g. lots of downloads) 29% The resource having previously been used with students 21% The resource featuring a catchy title or attractive image(s) 9% Being required to use a resource for a project/task 7% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
- 27. Factors relevant tochoosing OER The resource being relevant to my particular interests/needs 69% Created/uploaded by a reputable/trusted institution/person 58% The resource having an open license allowing adaptation 51% The resource being easy to download 49% A detailed description of the resource content 48% The resource having a Creative Commons license 48% A description of learning objectives or outcomes being provided 48% Positive user ratings or comments about the resource 43% Use of interactive or multimedia content 43% Having previously used this resource successfully 42% Personal recommendation 42% The resource being recently created, uploaded or updated 36% The length/complexity of the resource 33% Evidence of interest in that resource (e.g. lots of downloads) 29% The resource having previously been used with students 21% The resource featuring a catchy title or attractive image(s) 9% Being required to use a resource for a project/task 7% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
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- 29. Impact on teachingpractice from OER use I make more use of culturally diverse resources 23% 2% I collaborate more with colleagues 22% 2% I use a broader range of teaching and learning methods 21% 2% I have a more up-to-date knowledge of my subject area 19% 2% I more frequently compare my own teaching with others 18% 2% I have improved ICT skills 16% 4% I now use OER study to develop my teaching 14% 3% I have broadened my coverage of the curriculum 14% 1% I reflect more on the way that I teach 13% 5% I make use of a wider range of multimedia 6% 0% strongly agree– agree– 3% 20% neither agree nor disagree– 40% disagree– 60% 80% strongly disagree– 100%
- 30. OER: perceptions ofimpact on learners ... Increases experimentation with ways of learning 17.1% ... leads to interest in a wider range of subjects 15.5% ... develops independence and self-reliance 15.4% ... increases engagement with lesson content 15.2% ... leads to improved student grades 15.2% ... increases satisfaction with the learning experience 14.3% ... increases participation in class discussions 12.3% ... increases enthusiasm for future study 11.8% ... increases collaboration and/or peer-support 11.5% ... allows me to better accommodate learners' needs 8.7% ... builds confidence 8.6% ... increases interest in the subjects taught 8.5% 0% Strongly agree 10% Agree 20% Neutral 30% 40% Disagree 50% 60% Strongly disagree 70% 80% 90% 100%
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- 32. Has your institutionsaved money through OER? “They don't like losing the revenue stream from the bookstore” “Students return for additional classes” don't know 37% yes 44% “OER resources are old-school, low-tech modules that are not peer-reviewed or nationally normed. There are some interesting tentative attempts at creativity but much of OER is cr*p.” no 19% “I know that some instructors are only using OER which provides substantial savings for our students.”
- 33. Have your studentssaved money through OER? “I still use publishers' textbooks in my classes. I use OER as supplements to the textbook.” “Saving money is a big incentive for students and institutions.” don't know 25% “My students tell me and enrollment in my classes has continually increased over those of my peers.” no 13% “I know that some instructors are only using OER which provides substantial savings for our students.” yes 62% “I developed an online textbook for the personal health class that I teach. This saves each of my students approximately $100.”
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- 35. “OER use helpsat-risk students to continue their studies” • More than 1/3 believed that OER use promotes student retention strongly disagree 4% disagree 8% strongly agree 12% • Around half feel it has no effect • The remainder (12%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with one noting that “other things are more important”. agree 26% neither agree nor disagree 50% “Driving down the cost coupled with the ability to modify and adapt the material to meet the needs of my learners are two major factors in why I like using OER materials.”
- 36. OER and retentionof at-risk students: comments against “Some at-risk students benefit from OER because of the obvious release of financial obligation. Others are challenged by the technology and OER actually makes their success rates drop.” Attitudes “My concern is that at-risk students don't seem to do well in online environments because it doesn't always provide them the structure they need.” “Many at risk students don't have the means to access high speed internet or have limited technological availability. To assume they do is simply wrong. Additionally, they have more complicated extrinsic factors impacting their lives, which may require more intensive contact from the instructor to keep them involved in the course. OER is not going to be a make or break issue of retention. It is not a panacea for at-risk students.” “The biggest factors in physics for student attrition are time-constraints and insufficient previous preparation, neither of which is affected by the class resources.”
- 37. OER as promoterof student retention: factors 120 100 80 47% 35% 60 40 20 11% 18% 36% 57% 60% 36% 21% 0 Materials are Availability of Materials Materials available in culturally- can be used can be different relevant for improving adapted to languages materials non-native suit student needs language skills Greater range of learning methods Use of Materials Materials Reduced resources for can be used can be cost of study improving flexibly accessed at materials study skills any time
- 38. Importance of OpenLicensing
- 39. How important isopen licensing (e.g. CC)? not at all important 5% neither important nor unimportant 22% crucial 20% More than half feel that open licensing is important, but fewer actually practice it. This could indicate either 1) that educators are not confident about licensing their work or 2) they feel it is an avoidable addition to their workload. somewhat important 19% very important 34%
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- 41. Summary of Results • Mostof the respondents have used some sort of OER, though only around a quarter create OER • Most report positive effects on their teaching practice as a result of OER use, particularly around peer collaboration and improved subject knowledge • A smaller proportion (but still in excess of 40%) feel that OER use directly leads to improved reflection on pedagogical practice • Positive effects were also identified for learners, especially around increased self-reliance, subject interest and experimentation • There were similar numbers who thought OER wasn‟t making much of a difference and a core of what might be termed „anti-OER‟ responses
- 42. Summary of Results • Therewere mixed views about whether OER was saving institutions money, but approximately 2/3 felt that students had saved money • Around 1/3 believe that OER is improving student attrition while around 1/2 believe it is not having an effect • Only around half of OER creators have used open licensing • There is a core of advocates who understand and actively promote OER; they adopt open educational practices and believe it leads to benefits
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- 44. Next Steps • Further analysisof this cohort, including isolation of the OER advocates and OER detractors to identify behavioural and attitudinal patterns • Mapping the survey data • Cross-referencing with other OERRH surveys, e.g. Saylor „informal learners‟ survey (n=3014) to build picture of different stakeholders/sectors • Integration of institutional metrics and qualitative data gathered in field work • Open dissemination of raw data; openly licensed research instruments • Adding your data to OER Impact Map?
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- 46. in service ofThe Open University