The use of open education resources (OER) could triple
over the next five years, according to a new report from Cengage Learning,
while use of OER as supplemental learning materials might quadruple over the
same period.
Cengage surveyed more the 500 faculty members, industry
experts, and OER adopters for the report, Open Educational Resources and the Evolving Higher Education Landscape.
Of faculty not already using OER, 77% said they either expect to use it or
would consider using it in the next three years.
The main problem for OER adoption continues to be a lack
of understanding by educators. The study found the most significant barrier to
OER is “faculty perception of the time and effort required to find and evaluate
it.” More than half of the respondents said the lack of a comprehensive catalog
was an issue, while 42% cited challenges in finding what they needed as the
biggest obstacle.
“If OER is to become truly mainstream, it will need to
be integrated with personalized and adaptive learning technologies—including
assessment and analytics—that help to improve student performance by mapping
objectives to outcomes,” wrote the report’s authors. “Quality content can only
go so far; it must be ‘wrapped’ in an instructionally designed framework that
creates a cohesive and effective learning experience.”