How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom

How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014

How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom

Ariel Diaz Founder and CEOBoundless

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Dr. Tracey Wyatt Dean of Assessment & Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness York College

March 12, 2014


“ Open Education Week

What Open Resources Mean for Education

Open Education gives people access to knowledge, provides platforms for sharing, enables innovation, and connects communities of learners and educators around the world.

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How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !3Image: flickr user francisco_osorio

Open Resources: Breaking Down Barriers


Challenges of Open Resources

“ Charles Kettering

People are very open-minded about new things — as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.

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Overcoming the Hurdles of Adoption

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OER Open WebsitesPublic Domain

How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !6

Implementing Open Resources in Your Class

How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !7Photo courtesy Tracey Wyatt, York College

York College ➡ About 500 students➡ Private rural college in Nebraska➡ Most students from rural areas, middle-class income➡ Campus-wide push for digital, affordable resources

• Phase 1: Replaced campus bookstore with Akademos in 2012 • Phase 2: Digitalize library (moving forward in 2014)


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0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Educational Books and Supplies

Consumer Price Index (1982-1984 = 100)

Textbooks prices: Rising at 3x inflation

3x

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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7 in 10 students have skipped buying a textbook due to cost

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Source: Student PIRGS


A Paradigm Shift

➡ Student debt is higher than ever before — over $1 trillion on the national level

➡ 7 in 10 students don’t buy textbooks because of cost➡ We need a way to increase student access to educational materials and

reduce the cost barriers holding so many back➡ Every college is different, but for a small, private college trying to be

cost efficient, cost effective and cost-sensitive, open resources are a great option

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How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !11Photo courtesy Tracey Wyatt, York College

If You’re Planning to Use OER ➡ Know who your students are

• Every student body is different — understand their financial and social concerns

• Faculty don’t always have a firm sense of who they are teaching • At York, 15% of our students were using digital resources of their own accord,

even before we made the campus-wide push

➡ Encourage faculty education • Some older faculty may have established habits or preferences • They may not believe change is happening, so educating them on the shifts in

student demographics, finances, and technologies is crucial

➡ Vet quality • OER are an excellent resource for general education and the 100-200 level • Ensure that the OER you’re looking at is high-quality, with some sort of external

vetting process


Supporting OER Effectiveness in Your Classroom

➡ Make OER central to the class• Students don’t always buy the book, even if it’s free. Tying a quiz to each chapter

ensures that more students will download / access the assigned OER and do their readings

➡ Ensure the solution of choice meets your class needs• If your class is fully digital, online OER are perfect • But if your students need the ability to print, ensure the materials students need to

grasp key concepts are printable without restrictions or limitations

➡ Support with external resources• Although OER textbooks are appropriate for basic information, sometimes there’s a

need for specialized resources or opinion from experts • Integrating with your classroom management system allows you to insert optional

additional materials to round out the curriculum

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Conclusions

➡ Change is hard, but campuses looking to enhance cost-effectiveness and access to education should embrace the new tools at our fingertips

➡ The key to using open resources and increasing student access to textbooks is to remove all possible barriers for entry — cost, format, etc.

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Thank you.

Ariel DiazFounder and CEO

Boundless

Dr. Tracey WyattDean of Assessment & Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness

York College


Questions?

Ariel DiazFounder and CEO

Boundless

Dr. Tracey WyattDean of Assessment & Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness

York College

How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom

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