Why+aren't+we+using+OERs+more?

// If OERs are generally considered to be good things (despite some concerns over quality and how we use them), why aren't we using them more? //


 * On the previous page, it was suggested that you wrote down some points about if and how your academics are using OERs...check back to it now (or start thinking about it if you missed this bit). A reminder of the questions: Are many using OERs? Do they think they're using OERs when in fact they are using copyright material? Do they know where to search for OERs when designing / redesigning a subject? Are they successful in this? Why or why not?
 * What knowledge already exists in your course teams that you can build on? What repositories, if any, are your academics already finding useful? How can you build and share awareness of appropriate, quality resources within your School/s?

= = =So, why aren't we using OERs more?= Here are some commonly cited reasons why people aren't making the most of OERs:
 * 1) Not finding the right fit
 * 2) They prefer to do it themselves, as they are sure of the quality and can contextualise for their own purposes
 * 3) Too much choice...it's time-consuming to find the right resources
 * 4) Few supports or incentives to use OERs

The JISC Infokit has an excellent table on the barriers and associated enablers to OER use / re-use and re-purposing. It's useful as it refers to both learners and teachers. It's reproduced here in full, as JISC has kindly shared it under a Creative Commons (attribution/share alike) license. You might also find this article, which suggests 5 hurdles to adoption and tips to avoid them, quite useful. Ensure materials will be accessible on alternative technologies (mobile) || Genuine access for all || Using social software to 'advertise' content (twitter, facebook) || Increased use of content || Include guidance on use within resources || Encourages peer support and interaction Encourages dialogue and enhances learning opportunities || Social software services such as Diigo allow users to highlight content and add notes || Quality resources likely to rise to the top of search engine results || Utilising services which pull resources together either physically or as a catalogue Mandating deposit within national repositories such as [|Jorum] || CoPs and networks support practice and dialogue as well as resources Improved access || CoP support as above Providing educational context as 'wrappers' to support users of resources Using small chunks or individual items to supplement own materials rather than trying to adapt a large package of materials User reviews which describe how resource has been used by others || Easier retrieval CoP support as above Time invested is valid due to positive results || Allow for context specific aspects to be easily added/taken away || Flexible use of content as appropriate ||  As the UNESCO OER-Toolkit notes, evidence of the effectiveness of OERs is still in its very early stages. But here's a //selection// of some scenarios of what's working in a few places: 
 * **Stakeholder** || **Barrier** || **Enabler** || **Possible Benefits** ||
 * Learners || Equity re access - not all OER are fully open**,** not all learners have access to computers, or to the internet || Movement toward fully open resources
 * || Knowing what is available - learners who are not guided or supported by a teacher may not know what is available or how to access it. || Making resources discoverable by tools that learners use regularly - search engines
 * || Support and guidance - learners may need support and guidance to use resources effectively || Provide options to engage with content creator or other content users (peers) - such as discussion forums and opportunities for collaborative learning
 * || Quality - not all OER are high quality - poor experiences with low quality materials may deter future use || User reviews can be helpful to encourage others
 * Teachers || Knowing what is available and how to find it || Utilising peer networks and CoPs to find out what is available in their subject area
 * || Time - concerns about wasting time looking for content and then adapting for their own purpose || Central support teams to help with repurposing
 * || Educational context - perception that each context is unique and that it is too difficult to adapt others content || Make generic content open to support several courses (eg. introduction to statistics)

Learner perspective

 * Sharing lecture notes (and audio recordings), exam texts, and model answers with other students (on public web-sites) can create useful knowledge repositories that support study efforts.
 * Encouraging lecturers to use OER readings where good alternatives to proprietary textbooks and articles exist; and using google scholar ( [|http://scholar.google.com] ) to identify open versions of closed materials.
 * Writing summaries of academic articles that are read during course work, and sharing them with peers on public websites. Summaries of articles do not fall under copyright, which means publishing them creates access to some of the knowledge that is otherwise only available through closed journals and publications.The AcaWiki project is currently setting up a repository for summaries of journal articles, but in the meantime, you can just place them on any publicly available web-site or add them to the growing number of OER focused wikis.
 * Using social bookmarking and ranking tools to evaluate usefulness of resources; building social recommendation networks that make finding good resources easier.
 * Reviewing published OERs can help potential students determine which institution offers courses that best fit their interests. Once enrolled, looking through course descriptions helps them choose the courses they want to take.
 * Not just lecturers, but students are benefiting from opening up their own work to an international audience for feedback and comment. Having a public blog or participating in online discussion forums is one way to showcase one's work. In a more formal academic environment, publishing in open access journals ensures maximum access.

Lecturer perspective
= = =What might be some good ways to get started for you? = Considering some of the key issues and enablers, what might be a good way to start the ball rolling for you? What do you think of these ideas:
 * Adapting and extending existing OERs for the local purpose, can enable access to high-quality materials, and save time during preparation of course materials.
 * Choosing OER as part of the readings to support a growing international movement towards more and higher quality OER
 * Publishing own materials as OER by simply allowing public access to online courses (if e-learning is used) or self-archiving of the key materials on sites that offer free hosting (for example, flickr.com for images, www.slideshare.com for presentations, etc.)
 * Sharing ones work in ways that makes it easy for others to access it and collaborate on adding more materials or examples, or translating the content into other languages (licensing content under free and open content licenses that allows this is a first step).
 * Teaching in ways that encourage students to access and produce OERs, supporting development of cognitive skills necessary to determine quality of on-line content, and experimenting with peer-based assessment models and reputation mechanisms that students are familiar with from social networking and e-commerce sites.
 * CSU is moving towards finalising our exit standards (expected in Feb 2012) and pedagogical standards (expected in May 2012). Are there opportunities for Educational Designers, Learning Skills Advisors, Librarians and BUSS staff to work together to locate quality OERs for assisting with the development of academic and digital literacies? If you did, where would you house these, and how might you tag them so that academics could find them easily depending on discipline, year level, skill and so forth?
 * So much of higher education teaching is based on intuition rather than research evidence. Could Educational Designers work together to collate high quality resources on learning design / practice that are based on sound research evidence? Where would you house these so that all could easily access and contribute?
 * What others do you have? Any worth taking to your Faculty team?