Open educational resources and social justice: Potentials and implications for research productivity in higher educational institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-124
Author(s):  
Vollan O Ochieng ◽  
Razak M Gyasi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Research Productivity ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Competitive Edge ◽  
Learning Institutions

Research is an essential tool for the creation and advancement of knowledge for socio-economic development. Whilst individuals pursue different kinds of education in order to match international standards, employers are keen to recruit employees with needed skills for a competitive edge. Due to the newly existing educational technologies, individuals have been left with insatiable desire to learn more skills, yet, with limited resources. The advent of Open Education (OE) has led to mass retention, use/re-use, redistribution, revision, and remix of open educational resources (OERs) thereby transforming the learning and research landscape in higher learning institutions. This paper analysed the contribution of OERs and social justice (SJ) on research productivity in higher education institutions. A scoping review was adopted for this study to gather extant literature from relevant available databases with the aim of obtaining as much evidence as possible to make a clearer and succinct conclusion. Existing literature provides evidence that OER and SJ principles positively influence production of research outputs in higher education institutions. The main challenges hindering universality of OERs include economic, technical, legal, social, and infrastructural requirements needed for availing OERs to the beneficiaries including learners, educators, learning institutions and governments. Currently, there are many open and free-to-use resources and websites existing on the internet. There is however, need for attitudinal change towards OERs among students, academics, and scholars among other stakeholders if its optimum uptake is to be realized.

AN APPROACH TO RESEARCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THROUGH OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela Blanca Silva-López ◽  
Ricardo Marcelín Jiménez ◽  
Iris Iddaly Méndez Gurrola ◽  
Hugo Pablo Leyva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources

scholarly journals A case study investigation of academic library support for open educational resources in Scottish universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 685-693
Author(s):  
Seth D. Thompson ◽  
Adrienne Muir
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Institutional Commitment ◽  
Case Study Methodology

The aim of the research was to investigate why and how Scottish university libraries support open educational resources and to assess their ability to provide support services for their development and use within higher education institutions. There has been little research on the role of academic libraries in supporting open educational resources in Scotland and previous research found that there is a lack of awareness of them in Scottish higher education institutions and few have open educational resources policies. The case study methodology therefore involved two Scottish academic libraries providing open educational resources services. The libraries’ motivation includes supporting teaching and learning and the development of educator digital skills and copyright knowledge. However, there are a number of barriers limiting the services the libraries are able to provide, particularly lack of human resources. The research confirmed the findings of previous research on the importance of institutional commitment, incentives for educator engagement, and understanding of copyright and licensing issues by educators and library staff.

scholarly journals Measuring use and creation of open educational resources in higher education

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Charles McKerlich ◽  
Cindy Ives ◽  
Rory McGreal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Open University ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Faculty And Staff ◽  
Compare And Contrast

<p>The open educational resources initiative has been underway for over a decade now and higher education institutions are slowly adopting open educational resources (OER). The use and creation of OER are important aspects of adoption and both are needed for the benefits of OER to be fully realized. Based on the results of a survey developed to measure the readiness of faculty and staff to adopt OER, this paper focuses on the measurement of OER use and creation, and identifies factors to increase both. The survey was administered in September 2012 to faculty and staff of Athabasca University, Canada’s open university. The results offer a snapshot of OER use and creation at one university. The survey tool could provide a mechanism to compare and contrast OER adoption with other higher education institutions. Forty-three percent of those in the sample are using OER and 31% are creating OER. This ratio of <em>use</em> to <em>creation</em> is introduced as a possible metric to measure adoption.</p>

Innovative Use of Open Educational Resources in the Higher Education Libraries

2020 ◽  
pp. 179-189
Author(s):  
Prince G. ◽  
Hariharan G.
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Information Requirements ◽  
Parent Institution ◽  
Open Education Resources ◽  
The Cost

Advancement in Science and Technology has made a tremendous impact on library and information centers. It has changed the traditional libraries and information centers into digital libraries, and library services are oriented towards ICT. As an outcome, e-resources are becoming more common among the libraries of higher educational institutions. They have gradually replaced the traditional print resources. Unfortunately, most of the libraries in the higher education sector except reputed institutions are facing a financial crunch situation. These institutions due to the limitation in the budget, find it hard to fulfill the information requirements of its users in the electronic environment. The cost of subscription to electronic resources goes beyond the purchasing capacity of the parent institution. Funding agencies at the institutions adopt consortia-based approach rather than individual institutional funding. In this context, open education resources fulfill the information requirements of the higher education institution. This chapter analyzes these open educational resources.

scholarly journals Integration of Open Educational Resources in Higher and General Education Institutions: from the Perspectives of Specialized and Concerned Bodies in E-Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Huda Y. Alyami
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
General Education ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
E Learning ◽  
High Degree

Open educational resourses have become a strategic source of a high degree of importance and this explains the reason for the acceleration of countries to join the use of them, but unfortunately, the results of a survey study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on eight experts in e-learning showed a gap that hinders integration in the use of open educational resources among educational institutions, especially at the general and higher education. Accordingly, the present study aimed to review the most prominent Open Educational Resources (OER) platforms in Saudi Arabia and identify the reality of cooperation and the best means of integration between higher and general education institutions from the perspective of specialists and concerned bodies. It adopted the analytical survey (descriptive) method. It covered a population of specialists and concerned bodies in e-learning from higher and general education institutions. The study applied a questionnaire to a sample of (144) participants from higher education institutions and (327) participants from general education institutions. Finally, it concluded results, made recommendations and suggested further studies.

scholarly journals Incentivizing the Production and Use of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education Institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Annand ◽  
Tilly Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Persistence Rates

<p class="3">Substituting open educational resources (OER) for commercially-produced textbooks results in demonstrable cost savings for students in most higher education institutions. Yet OER are still not widely used, and progress toward large-scale adoption in most colleges and universities has been slow. This article reviews the literature informing financial and other issues that affect OER adoption. It describes the outcome of an ongoing, financially self-sustaining project at Athabasca University that has produced significant cost savings for the institution, maintained equivalent student learning outcomes and persistence rates, and enhanced aspects of the student learning experience. Based on the success of the project to date, broadly-applicable recommendations are suggested to reduce organizational impediments to the adoption of OER in higher education institutions.</p>

scholarly journals Developing a Sustainable Financial Model in Higher Education for Open Educational Resources

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Annand
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Student Needs ◽  
Financial Model ◽  
Financial Interests ◽  
Financial Issues

<p>Financial issues regarding the sustainable production, dissemination, and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education are reviewed and proposed solutions critiqued. Use of OER produce demonstrable cost savings for students. Yet OER development continues to rely almost completely on government and philanthropic funding. This indicates that a mismatch exists between the financial interests of students and those of higher education institutions. Before OER will be broadly adopted, changes to government policy are required to align institutional objectives with faculty motivations and student needs.</p>

scholarly journals Challenges and instructors’ intention to adopt and use open educational resources in higher education in Tanzania

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Samson Mtebe ◽  
Roope Raisamo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
The Public ◽  
Intention To Adopt ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Facilitating Conditions ◽  
Learning Institutions

<p>Higher education in Tanzania like in many other Sub-Saharan countries suffers from unavailability of quality teaching and learning resources due to lack of tradition, competence, and experience to develop such resources. Nevertheless, there are thousands of open educational resources (OER) freely available in the public domain that can potentially improve the quality of existing resources or help to develop new courses. The uptake and reuse of these resources in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania has been very low. The study applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to elicit instructors’ intention to adopt and use OER in teaching. The paper also investigated challenges that hinder instructors to adopt and use OER. A sample of 104 instructors selected randomly from five HLIs was collected and tested against the research model using regression analysis. The study found effort expectancy had significant positive effect on instructors’ intention to use OER while performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence did not have significant effect. Challenges that were found to hinder instructors to adopt and use OER are discussed. The findings of this study will help those who are involved in OER implementation to find strategies that will maximize OER adoption and usage in higher education in Tanzania.</p>

scholarly journals Social network as a means of sharing open educational resources in Higher Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (38) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Patrícia Lupion Torres ◽  
Lilia Maria Marques Siqueira ◽  
Elizete Lucia Matos
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Paradigm ◽  
Teaching Learning

This article is about social networks and open educational resources as means of exchange and collaboration for higher education. It highlights the issue of students as participants in the construction of new knowledge, from content presented in class through discussions mediated by the professor and integration of each participant with their own experiences and characteristics from reality and historicity from that moment. It searches, through social networks and open educational resources, new elements which favor the spread of academic culture, university, currently entered into denominations such as: network society, knowledge society or information society. In common in their definitions there is the change of the educational paradigm which assumes that the student is a passive subject who will only have access to information through the professor’s hands, to a new theoretical positioning. The networks are used by the community to share ideas, opinions, and in educational contexts, for sharing computerized educational resources and with authors such as Andres (2000), Bruffee (1999), Downes (2007), Johnstone (2005) and others. The interdependence skills, exchange of ideas and debates with the strategy of collaboration can also be encouraged through the mediation of technology. From several studies on the topic some recommendations are presented so that the educational resources meet international standards of production surpassing the mere text digitization. The use of educational resources can mean an improvement on the proposals of hybridization of teaching in higher education institutions, by allowing a relaxation of the teaching-learning process which overcomes the boundaries of traditional and formal education.  

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