Open Educational Resources Overview Benefits and Challenges Created

Open Educational Resources Overview, Benefits and Challenges Created by Mel. Edwards

What are open educational resources? Open educational resources (OER) are: freely accessible openly licensed documents and media useful for teaching, learning, assessing and research “Although some people consider the use of an open file format to be an essential characteristic of OER, this is not a universally acknowledged requirement” https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Open_educational_resources

Creative Commons OER Licenses Attribution – Share Alike Attribution – No Derivs Attribution – Non-Commercial – Share Alike Attribution – Non-Commercial Creative Commons FAQs

Benefits of OER FREE, current resources for all where the creator is known (unlike public domain). INNOVATION. A wealth of resources can be a springboard for new creations. RECOGNITION. New professionals can put their work out via OER licensing and build a reputation in their field. HELPFUL. Resources are available for those working to become in Universal access compliance, as well as materials for those in new fields. WORLD CHANGING. Free speech combined with creativity allows greater sharing of knowledge, insight and materials to benefit the greater good of learned communities across the globe.

Challenges with OER FEAR. No one wants to get ripped off and sharing it properly makes us nervous that some won’t follow the rules. NOVEL. This is a new approach for creatives to share willingly instead of hoarding our expertise to solely benefit our personal use. CONFUSION. With half a dozen licenses through the Creative Commons alone and multiple agencies involved around the world, some of us don’t know what to do, how to do and why. HASSLE. Using a new system requires time and energy we may not have in ample supply. QUALITY. The level of expertise you need or the content you desire may be lacking at this stage.

3 Take-Aways for New Users of OER 1. Use it as you see fit or may be required due to funding you’ve received (such as grants to develop new materials). 2. One step at time: Take baby steps to use it. Try it out. See what works for you and don’t give up the first time you saunter into the Creative Commons. 3. Remember, like anything in life, you get out of it what you’re willing to put into it.

“ This MSU-Northern/Rev. Up Montana workforce product was funded by a $1. 7 M grant awarded by the U. S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U. S. Department of Labor. ” -Melissa “Mel” Edwards, MSU-Northern Energy Sector Curriculum Coordinator. 2015.