Why OER?Maxi Boeckl, Ph.D.

Everett Community College

open textbook graphic photo credit: giulia.forsythe; via photopin; cc

Advantages

Customize material

Students save money

Allow access to everyone

Up to date materials

Build on existing resources

Instructor can customize material

Leave out materials you won’t cover It can be distracting to have material in a book that will not

be covered

Incorporate material of special interest Teach courses using themes

For example, teach a science course with emphasis on the environment

Incorporate the latest research

Image by  Artur Kasimovhttp://www.softicons.com/free-icons/object-icons/awesome-book-icon-by-artur-kasimov/book-icon

Reducing Cost

Students safe money

Available online Even after course is done, students have access

Printed copies are significantly cheaper Material can still be made available in a printed format for

much less than a textbook

Students will pay $30 vs $300

Available under CC By TaxCredits.net

Allow access to everyone

Accessible all around the world

Accessible to any age group

Accessible to any educational level

Blue Marble by NASA, available on Wiki Commons

Lots of Resources

Up-to date Material

The material can be a live document

Newest findings can be incorporated easily Researchers from around the world can contribute

Researchers from different specialties can contribute to bring a broader spectrum to a topic

Eliminating the need for “new editions” of books

Build on existing material

Don’t need to re-invent the wheel

"Scientists montage" by Archidamos III MAN Napoli Inv6156.jpg: Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

Concerns about OER

Quality of material Need peer-review or collaborations to get quality

Maintenance The burden of quality material is on the instructor

Time Commitment Big time investment to find the right material

Sustainability Broken links and disappearing material