Open Education ResourcesWhat are the benefits? What are the challenges?~Trina Ballard, Communication Studies Instructor

Benefits of Open Educational Resources

1. Free to Use!

Oh Yes It’s Free by Spider Web Marketing licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0

2. Quality is (frequently) High

Best Quality available through CC0 Public Domain

3. Endorsed by the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges

Class Photo by Graham Stanley is licensed under CC BY

4. Increasing in Popularity and Ubiquity ~ Becoming “Normal”

Politics at the 2015 Iowa State Fair by Phil Roeder licensed under CC By 2.0

5. Safe! Fun! Allowed by Law!

Wikipedian Protester by Randall Munroe licensed under CC BY-NC 2.5

On the other hand…

On the other hand by Daniel Horacio Agostini licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Challenges of Open Educational Resources

1. Finding the “Perfect” Resource Isn’t Easy

Overwhelmed with Choices by Jeremy Crantek licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2. Lack of Instructor Ancillary Materials & Resources

Long Before the Third Grade Test by welcome to learn licensed under CC BY 2.0

3. Can Be Time-Consuming and Confusing to Determine and to Attribute

Wall Clocks licensed under CC0 Public Domain

4. Not a Lot of (Competitive) Choices Out There…Yet!

Empty Bread Shelves at Target by brownpau licensed under CC BY 2.0

5. And consider… what is the Incentive to Produce (other than altruism), if Unfunded?

Mr Altruism by Surian Soosay licensed under CC BY 2.0

Looking Ahead….Looking Ahead by Waring Johnson licensed under CC BY 2.0

OERs ~ GREAT for students who already have spiking costs in tuition and fees

Great for instructors who want to freely share in the world of ideas without tensions about ownership and cost

OERs can ONLY increase in choice, ease, and quality It’s going to be an expectation in the future rather than a

“perhaps” as usage becomes more widespread It’s a WONDERFUL way to help preserve democracy and

speak truth to power!

Thank you!!!

Occupy Wall Street by BullMoose1912 licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0