GOING DIGITAL: Faculty Pespectives on Digital and OER Course Materials — The Campus Computing Project

Although the movement in course materials in colleges and universities is clearly from print towards digital, the survey data suggest it will be a slow process. Asked when they thought the majority of their course materials would be primarily digital, fully a fourth of the surveyed faculty indicated “never,” while another 9 percent said by fall 2022, and 17 percent indicated by fall 2020. In contrast, fully a sixth (16 percent) reported that majority of their current course materials were digital as of fall 2015, and a third (34 percent) anticipated primarily digital course materials by fall 2018. However, despite what appears to be faculty resistance to going digital for course materials, just over two-thirds (69 percent) of the survey participants agreed/strongly agreed that they have used or would like to use “curricular materials that make use of adaptive learning technologies.”

Open Educational Resources - Babson Survey Research Group Inflection Point: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2019 Inflection Point: Educational Resources in U.S. The model of course material distribution and selection is at an inflection point. There is a growing acceptance (even preference) by faculty for digital materials. Custom OER Analysis Custom analysis of OER survey data is now available on a for-fee basis. Custom analysis results: Macmillan Learning request (Excel file).Comparing 4 Year and 2 Year Faculty responses 2017 (Excel file).Faculty Barriers to OER by Discipline 2017 (Excel file). Previous reports 2018 National Higher Education Report Freeing the Textbook: Open Education Resources in U.S. The 2017-2018 survey on teaching materials in U.S. higher education shows steady growth in awareness of open educational resources (OER). The study also shows multiple factors are in place to support rapid future increases in awareness and use of OER: Full Report PDF: Freeing the Textbook: Open Education Resources in U.S. Charts

7 Things You Should Know About Open Educational Resources Open educational resources (OER) are any resources available at little or no cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or research. The term can include textbooks, course readings, and other learning content; simulations, games, and other applications; syllabi, quizzes, and assessment tools; and virtually any other educational material. Open resources are issued under a license that spells out how they can be used: Some may only be used in their original form; in other cases, resources can be modified, remixed, and redistributed. The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution. Download PDF

7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing The open educational resources model, including textbooks, has emerged as a response to rising text prices, a need for greater access to high-quality learning materials, the proliferation of e-reader devices, and a trend in publishing toward electronic media. Many contend that educational resources should be open and that instructional models increasingly depend on open content. Open textbooks can be offered by commercial publishers or found in open repositories. Open resources can promote active learning through student interaction with the text, particularly when they contribute to authorship. The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. In addition to the "7 Things You Should Know About…" briefs, you may find other ELI resources useful in addressing teaching, learning, and technology issues at your institution.

Worcester State University: Learn About OER Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research resources released under an open license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. OER can be full courses, course materials, lesson plans, open textbooks, learning objects, videos, games, tests, software, or any other tool, material, or technique that supports access to knowledge. Open Educational Resources are broadly considered to meet the “5Rs Framework,” meaning that users are free to: Retain: Users have the right to make, archive, and "own" copies of the content;Reuse: Content can be reused in its unaltered form;Revise: Content can be adapted, adjusted, modified or altered;Remix: The original or revised content can be combined with other content to create something new;Redistribute: Copies of the content can be shared with others in its original, revised or remixed form. From