Article Summary 6: Impact of Open Educational Resources
This is a summary of the article "Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: Data from OER Research Hub" written by Robert Farrow; Rebecca Pitt; Beatriz de los Arcos; Leigh-Ann Perryman; Martin Weller; and Patrick Mcandrew.
This article can be read here.
Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: Data from OER research hub
By: Robert Farrow, Rebecca Pitt, Beatriz de los Arcos, Leigh-Ann Perryman, Martin Weller, Patrick McAndrew
OER Research Hub: Open educational resources research hub at The Open University in the UK
OER are the actual open educational resources available to educators and students
Used mixed methods approach to study the impact of OER on learning and teaching
Received data results from a cross section of teachers and learners varying in gender, age and informal and non-formal education environments
OER Research Hub studies a number of hypotheses including:
Can OER lead to improved student performance
Can OER improve retention rates of vulnerable students
Can OER cause critical reflection and bettering of practice among educators
OER is complimentary to formal education
Can OER involvement lead to policy chang?
Based on data obtained in the research study, some of the statistics that had high percentages showed:
79.4% of OER users adapt the resources to fit what they need
79.5% use OER as a source of inspiration
88.4% of students said that they accessed OER because it was free
Key conclusions include:
OER indirectly improves student performance
OER causes increase in critical reflection by educators
Formal students use OER to supplement their work
Awareness of OER is increasing
Limitations to the study include
Inconsistent methodology
Specific context of OER and so not applicable to situations outside of that
Qualitative type data was used to supplement quantitative data when needed
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