The Role of Open Education Resources (OERs) in Teaching
What is the role of open education resources in teaching?
Open Education Resources (OERs) are freely available to use, revise, and distribute under an open license (i.e. Creative Commons). This includes textbooks, lesson plans, videos, quizzes, and other materials
The role of OERs in teaching is multifaceted and has several benefits including:
- Reduced student costs: OERs can provide access to high-quality teaching materials to supplement or replace traditional textbooks or other course materials.
- Customization and flexibility: Academics may customize OERs to suit the needs of their students and the specific learning objectives of their courses.
- Collaboration and sharing: Since OERs can be shared, they encourage collaboration. As a result, they may improve the quality of teaching materials and ultimately enhance the student experience.
- Innovation and experimentation: OERs give academics the opportunity to experiment with new teaching approaches, as they have access to a wide range of teaching materials that can be altered in creative ways.
Overall, the role of OERs in teaching is to provide access to high-quality teaching materials which can also be customized. OERs can increase access to education, promote collaboration and sharing, and encourage innovation and experimentation in teaching.