Benefits of Using OER

This week, I read several research articles that examined the efficacy of Open Educational Resources textbooks. These studies have revealed the following benefits:

• Enhance academic performance

• Reduce the cost of higher education

• Provide a customized learning experience

• Perceptions of OER textbook quality among students are positive

• When students use OER textbooks rather than commercial textbooks, they perform similarly or slightly better in their courses.

• OER may be used as an equity strategy because it provides students with equal access to course materials from the start

• A positive perception of OER textbooks exists among students and professors.

Having experienced most of the above-mentioned benefits, I can only emphasize that OER textbooks are beneficial to students. It is the customized learning experience that I have enjoyed the most. By using OER textbooks, instructors are able to adapt their content to meet the needs of their students. Hopefully, we will see more instructors creating and adopting OER textbooks with the support of the university.