Learning resources are often the key to success in school, yet they can be inaccessible. Without them, some students opt to withdraw from courses as they don’t want to risk failure. Nonetheless, all hope isn’t lost for those who can’t meet the often-high cost of traditional learning material.
If you want to enhance your leadership skills or employability, a Master of Public Service could be your ticket to an illustrious career. To this end, you can learn more about admissions for Clinton School of Public Service by browsing the institution’s website.
All the same, open educational resources (OER) offer great value to students regardless of the courses they pursue. For starters, OER refers to course content you can freely access and use. These may include tests, journal articles, assignments, simulations, lecture notes, e-books, and syllabi. With that in mind, let’s discuss the five benefits of using these invaluable resources.
1. Cost Savings
OER is available to everyone at no charge. You can redistribute, remix, use, or revise them free of charge – no worrying about licensing or copyright restrictions. These resources are typically availed under an open license – Creative Commons and Public Domain Licenses come to mind. Hence, they’re a great alternative for students seeking to get ahead at school without breaking the bank on educational resources.
And let’s face it; some textbooks can cost an arm and a leg! On average, students allocate over $1,200 to textbooks every school year. It might not seem like much, but the expenses add up over time. Plus, if you consider a student’s bare-bones budget, OER can offer a much-needed reprieve.
2. Comprehensive and Updated Content
Compared to textbooks that often become obsolete as new material is published, open resources are frequently revised and updated to incorporate the newest and most relevant information without requiring lengthy reviews. Besides, textbooks require continual upgrading to keep up with the changing times – making them expensive.
OER is also available on various platforms, implying you can use them in multiple ways, from watching lectures to downloading audio and visual resources – whatever suits your learning style. Thus, you can trust that you’re accessing quality material created to benefit your studies. Besides, collaborations between scholars and educators ensure such content is of the highest quality – incorporates innovative practices, and explores new teaching methods.
3. Accessibility for Everyone
Since OER are available online, anyone with an internet connection can access them. And by interacting with such course material, students can sharpen their critical thinking or writing skills, aspects that memorization or passive reading cannot facilitate or address.
Likewise, students with disabilities can access OER easily due to the availability of educational content in various formats. For instance, visually impaired students can rely on audio lectures or use screen readers to access the content.
Moreover, you don’t have to wait for your course to commence to get learning material. And even after completion of your course, you can still refer to OER for further information.
4. Teaching and Learning Flexibility
Teachers can customize OER content to suit their students’ needs – by adding illustrations, useful links, activities, or extra reading material. They may also revise the content to match course requirements or create assignments using the available resources. This makes it easier for tutors to assess students’ learning outcomes, streamlining the grading process.
Likewise, students can use OER to pursue interests that may not be part of their courses or textbooks – such resources grant them the freedom to explore relevant topics. For instance, a science student can use OER to understand philosophy or history better.
Educators can also supplement their courses with OER by setting up online classrooms. In turn, this provides access to resources students can use in and out of the classroom. And even if the tutors are new to remote learning, OER teaching guides can help them develop or enhance their skills.
5. Rapid Circulation and Scalability
OER can be distributed at an incredibly fast rate, which in turn allows large-scale use. This makes it easier to reach more students compared to traditional publishing. Besides, some schools may struggle to purchase textbooks due to limited budgets. Open resources can be a valuable and cost-effective alternative for such institutions.
Moreover, they can also benefit institutions in emerging markets due to their lower cost and ease of access. OER can provide a valuable source of knowledge for students – particularly if textbooks covering diverse subjects are unavailable locally.
OER offers numerous benefits for educators and students. We’ve merely scratched the surface of their potential. We’re also more likely to witness further advancements as more resources become available. Hopefully, we can use OER to bridge the gap between those with financial means and those without – ensuring everyone can access quality learning material. And if such resources become a prevalent feature of our educational systems, everyone stands to benefit.
Evolution of Education in the Digital Age