As
open education librarian at the City University of New York, Ann Fiddler and
her colleagues have been working for the past year to help faculty members
integrate open educational resources (OER) into their courses as part of New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $8 million budget investment to provide OER to
students at the 21 campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the
64 campuses of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
In an opinion piece for the education website The 74 Million (a reference to the
number of children in the U.S. under the age of 18), Fiddler noted that by this
coming fall, CUNY students in high-enrollment classes should have saved $8.1
million through use of OER. However, she added that the impact of open content
goes beyond dollars and cents, citing four other powerful effects:
1) Faculty
members become reinvigorated about their vocation as they retool their courses
for OER, sometimes involving their students in the creation of new learning
materials.
2) With
OER, all students, no matter their financial situation, have their course
materials and are prepared to learn on the first day of class. Previously, because
of high textbook prices, some students waited until several weeks into the term
to buy some materials or skipped purchasing them entirely.
3) Evidence
is beginning to mount that OER can improve student outcomes. Fiddler noted that
in one CUNY math course, students using OER scored 10 points higher on the
final exam and were three times as likely to pass the course as their
counterparts using traditional print materials. While still early days, she
said she expects further positive data as OER are expanded to more campuses and
more classes.
4) OER
foster collaboration, not only within systems and within states but across
state borders. SUNY and CUNY are collaborating on the launch of Open NYS, a
community to showcase and support use of OER for those just getting started.
The group is already sharing best practices with officials in Maryland, while
learning from early adopters such as California.
