User:Peteforsyth/OER research Wikidojo article

For context, please see the class page: Wikipedia:Class: Instructional Psychology and Technology 692R, Brigham and Young University, spring 2016

Open Educational Resources research

Several researchers have studied Open Educational Resources (OER), exploring a wide variety of topics. These issues include theories about what is meant by open education, open pedagogy and the efficacy of OER implementation. In a study of trends in distance education, researchers found that OER was the most commonly used research keyword.

Other Research Issues

Smith (2013) suggests nine areas for OER research:

1. Policy research: Ranging from class policies, to school policies, to national policies.
2. Access and use: Most OER use is measured using self-report. Bliss et al. (2013) found there was no difference between how students in OER sections used their OER textbooks when compared with students in traditional sections of the course. Lindshield and Adhikari (2013) surveyed students about their resource use and found that the majority of students used their textbooks 2-3 times or more per week. Petrides, Jimes, Middleton-Detzner, Walling, and Weiss (2011) found that having access to digital resources impacted students' study habits positively. While this research is important in understanding how students are using OER, there are problems with using self-report to understand student use of OER including scalability and self-report bias. Other studies have examined student use by tracking student resource use via resource downloads.
3. Effectiveness: An analysis of nine OER efficacy studies indicated that students who use OER tend perform as well or slightly better than their peers.
4. Innovation: Creative ideas and disruptions resulting from remix and reuse OER
5. Beyond formal education: How OER can be used beyond the scope of the classroom setting
6. Sustainability: Long-term viability of the OER movement
7. Development and improvement: Capacity to improve the creation and adaptation processes of OER
8. Implementation: Studies regarding its existing adoption and use
9. Infrastructure: Information technology support of OER

One method for approaching OER scholarship is the COUP framework for organizing efficacy research on OER created by Bliss, Hilton, Robinson, and Wiley (2013). In the COUP framework, research is focused on Cost, Outcomes, Use, and Perceptions. A current list of articles that fit within the COUP framework is curated by the Open Education Group. Several studies have indicated that significant cost savings for students take place when OER are adopted. Both faculty members and students ranked reduced cost as the biggest factor for their interest in adopting OER or willingness to continue using OER. [Insert citation] The adoption of open educational resources by one community college math department. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 14(4), 37–50.

More research is needed to better examine how students are using OER.

Organizations

These organizations conduct, support, and/or promote research in OER:

1. Athabasca University
   • Publishes IRRODL
2. MERLOT
   • Published JOLT
3. OER Research Hub
4. Online Learning Consortium
   • Publishes Online Learning
5. Open Learning Network
6. Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)

Publications

These journals frequently publish research in OER:

• Educational Technology Research & Development
• Educause Review
• European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning
• First Monday
• In Education
• Innovate: Journal of Online Education (discontinued), 2004-2009
• The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
• Journal of Computing in Higher Education
• Journal of Electronic Publishing
• Journal of Interactive Media in Education
• Journal of Online Learning & Teaching (2005-2015; now merged with Online Learning)
• Online Learning
• Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning
• Tech Trends