Why Should You Offer an OER-Based Degree Program?

David Wiley, PhD, Chief Academic OfficerNate Angell, Doorman

Unless otherwise notedthese slides are licensed CC BY 4.0

Open Educational Resources

Which “open”?

open ≈ free

free is assumed online

open = free + permissions

• Make and own a copyRetain• Use in a wide range of waysReuse• Adapt, modify, and improveRevise• Combine two or moreRemix• Share with othersRedistribute

The 5Rs

Open

1. Free and unfettered access

2. Perpetual, irrevocable 5R permissions

“Faux-pen”

1. Free (possibly gated) access

2. All rights reserved (or stronger)

Cost to Students

Permissions to Faculty

and Students

Commercial Textbooks Expensive Restrictive

Library Resources Free Restrictive

Open Educational Resources Free 5Rs

Open Educational Resources

1. Free and unfettered access

2. Perpetual, irrevocable 5R permissions

OER-based Degree

When elective and required courses adopt OER instead of commercial textbooks, so that a student can graduate without ever being asked to buy a textbook

1. Improve student success while saving students money

Numerous studies show that students whose faculty assign OER outperform students assigned commercial textbooks on a range of measures.

11 Peer Reviewed Studies

http://openedgroup.org/

48,623 Students

http://openedgroup.org/

93% Same or Better Outcomes

http://openedgroup.org/

9 Peer Reviewed Studies of Perceptions of OER Quality

http://openedgroup.org/

4,510 Professors and Students

http://openedgroup.org/

50%Same35%

Better

15%Worse

http://openedgroup.org/

impact.lumenlearning.com

2. Improve student success while saving students money

Estimates of a student’s per class savings when faculty replace traditional textbooks with OER range from $90 to $128.

3. Create reliable savings students can count on

When an individual faculty member chooses OER, it’s a nice surprise. When a degree program chooses OER, students receive a predictable decrease in their cost to graduate they can plan for.

4. Increase academic freedom for faculty

OER give faculty the 5R permissions, opening doors to a wide array of teaching and learning activities that are simply not possible with commercial curriculum.

PM4ID

5. Speed students toward graduation

Students whose faculty choose OER drop classes at a lower rate.

Students whose faculty choose OER reinvest that savings in taking additional classes.

7. Increase institutional revenue

When students drop at lower rates, institutions refund less tuition.

When students reinvest textbook savings in additional classes, the institution realizes net new revenue.

Great! But how?

Recipe for an OER Degree

How to prepare your institution for a zero-textbook cost, OER degree or certificate program.

IngredientsMeasurable goalsThe right peopleThe right credential programSustainabilityPolicyRollout plansCommunicationTraining & supportInfrastructure

Measureable goals

Having an OER degree is not your goal, it is the mechanism to reach your goals.

How will you know if and when your program is supporting your goals?

The right people

Above all, the move to OER is a human change process.

The right peopleExecutive sponsor(s)Program lead(s)Faculty championsStudentsKey supporting roles: librarian, bookstore, faculty support, instructional designer, LMS admin, registrar

The right credential program

Right for your institutionRight for your facultyRight for your students

Finding the OER sweet spot

Curated Open Courses

High-Enrollment Courses

Engaged Faculty

OER course development

Adopt Adapt Build

Start Here

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Process: OER Selection and Revise/RemixResources: OER Collections

Lumen’s catalog of curatedOER courses

Sustainability

How will your institution sustain your move to OER over time?

Policy

What policies do you need to put in place to support your program?

Rolling it out

How will you roll out your program across academic terms?

Communication

Who needs to know about your program?What do they need to know?When?

Training & support

Who will need training and support and how will you provide it over time?

Infrastructure

What systems and tools will you need to support your program?

Infrastructure for VCCS Zx23

OER Office Hours

http://lumenlearning.com/office-hours/

http://openedconference.org/