M.Ed. graduate, Carson Babich, a co-author in two of our OER projects, speaks to Dr. Smith's Management & Leadership in the Learning Organization class
Our University of Windsor Research Ethics Board-approved research centres on the use of Open Education Resources (OER) to fulfill the university’s moral and ethical duty to provide knowledge without financially burdening students that result in thoughtful and engaged learning. OER’s address this moral and ethical duty by alleviating the financial burden on students through the full or partial removal of textbook costs. Instructor use of OERs also enhances teaching effectiveness, leading to interdisciplinary student learning. The purpose of our study is to explore the phenomenon of the OER movement and its impact on alleviating student debt, increasing instructor pedagogy, and enhancing deep and disciplinary learning.
According to Lederman (2019, March 13), 85% of school leaders approve of OER usage. Many education faculty members are increasingly looking to make use of OER’s to customize their teaching resources to ensure that they are a good fit for the courses they are teaching. This study is significant to understanding the attitudes towards OER rose from faculty and student perspectives. Through the exploration of this phenomenon, we intend to produce rich and sufficient data for insight on the use of OER and its implications on students and faculty within interdisciplinary courses such as educational administration, policy, and leadership.
Our research study is supported by a University of Windsor Faculty of Education Research Stimulus Fund grant.
This study is now completed.