Reshaping Preservice Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge With Primary Source Documents

The Authoritative Science Publications for Education Majors (ASPEM) project was a textbook transformation program for elementary and secondary science education majors developed at the University of North Georgia (UNG) in 2017. The primary goal of this project was to build a curriculum for pre-service science methods students utilizing online publications of the National Academies of Sciences through the National Academies Press (NAP) and other resources to completely replace a traditional text. This course redesign was necessitated by changes in state science standards, introduced at the same time, that were built on the instructional implications presented in the Framework for K-12 Science Education. Pre-service students in the methods course indicated that the use of these resources, in lieu of a traditional text, provided a richer learning experience for them.

Using OpenStreetMap as a Source of Religious Mapping Data in an OER Human Geography Textbook

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a global scale geographic data source produced by individual volunteers and organizations. It is emblematic of two emerging themes in geographical technology: crowdsourcing and open data. One of the main problems with mapping religion at small scales is the lack of good data for representing the religious landscape. OSM provides data on the location of religious structures in the landscape. The dataset contains hundreds of thousands of religious structures that can be mapped, queried, and analyzed. Students often do not understand how mapping data are produced and how the data are refined and manipulated. In this study, students are asked to interact with maps made from the data as well as the data itself and provide their feedback. Open datasets can be used to make useful teaching maps, but they can also be used to help students see the inner workings of data production.

The Effects of Using Open Educational Resources on Minority Achievement in Undergraduate Mathematics

Prominent in the public debate on college affordability is the rising cost of textbooks. Owing to limited finances or mounting college debt, many students fail to purchase required course textbooks. Among the perils students without textbooks face are delayed course enrollment, high failure or dropout rates, and extended time to graduation. At Fort Valley State University, an Historically Black University within the University System of Georgia, the mathematics faculty first observed increasing numbers of college algebra students without textbooks, then, similarly, with upper division students. As a cost-savings measure, the faculty redesigned eight courses using open educational resources (OER). This chapter highlights the four-year results of faculty and students' OER course experiences. OER students have better grades, lower failure rates, and better attendance records than those using traditional textbooks. The attitude of OER students towards mathematics also improved. A total cost savings of $197,780 was realized with an average, per student savings of $198.

A Textbook Transformation Project

Open education resources (OER) have been impacting higher education across the world, providing access to affordable learning materials that represent a powerful alternative to commercial textbooks. This study discusses a two-year-long textbook transformation effort affecting first- and second-year Spanish at Georgia Gwinnett College. The goal was to replace the commercial textbook with OER that were free, international, and interdisciplinary in focus, and meaningful to a diverse student population. During 2017 and 2018, 336 elementary and intermediate students of Spanish were affected by this project. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The results indicated that the textbook transformation project was successful, and the students welcomed the no-cost model. Retention and completion rates were higher than the rates prior to this research, and dropout/withdrawal/fail rates decreased. More research is needed on the impact of OER to teach and engage the whole student and how it enhances second language learning.

Open Educational Resources and Student Engagement

Innovative technologies are playing critical roles in higher education teaching, especially in promoting student engagement. In particular, open education resources (OERs) have increasingly shaped teaching practices in a variety of disciplines, including political science. The goal of this chapter is to explore the use of OER materials, combined with in-class activities, in introductory political science classes. The authors begin this chapter with an overview of OER materials, including an online textbook and a database of activities collected by the team. From there, the chapter presents several activities that address voter participation, freedom of speech, and tensions between states' rights and federal authority. The chapter concludes with a discussion of assessment results that measure student performance and attitudes towards OER resources and classroom activities.

A Survey on Recent Learning Approaches in School Education Using Edmodo

Edmodo is a platform combining social networking and learning. It provides functionality addressed to tutors, students, and parents of young students. It attempts to exploit the popularity of social networking and tailor it to the needs of education. Access to Edmodo functionality is freely available. Open educational resources involving various subjects and different languages are available within Edmodo. Edmodo users may search for and retrieve such resources. Many learning approaches using Edmodo have been implemented in school education. The results are positive in various aspects. This chapter surveys approaches using Edmodo in school education. The survey focuses on the most recent approaches. The research results are analyzed. An important result that has been derived from several approaches is the improvement in learning. The surveyed approaches generally demonstrate the usefulness of Edmodo in school education. Furthermore, social learning platforms may be used to disseminate open educational resources and integrate them in school education practices.

Transformation at Scale

This chapter summarizes a unique department-wide effort in the adoption, development, implementation, and assessment of open educational resources (OER) for a wide range of information technology courses. The chapter presents the development principles and practices at four levels: OER-driven pedagogies, OER adoption and development, course design/review cycle, and department/program level coordination. The chapter also provides an overview of the OER features and adoption in the computing and IT field.

Open Educational Resources Potential at The University of the Bahamas

This chapter explores the potential for implementation of OER at the University of The Bahamas (UB). Several questions guide the chapter's review: (1) How are OERs currently utilised in the Caribbean region? (2) What challenges must be overcome in order for UB to address concerns of the Bahamian government, academic faculty/staff, students, and future accreditation standards necessary for development and recognition in the region and internationally as a credentialed institution? (3) What are the benefits for a newly minted university to implement OER within the context of national development? The chapter concludes with recommendations for UB to consider as it transitions to providing a world class education for the citizens of The Bahamas.

An Open Educational Resources Journey

The open educational resources movement in higher education has largely been driven by concerns over increasing textbook costs and the resulting barriers to access. As the movement has gained traction in sectors of higher education, research has focused on achievement of student learning outcomes. Advocates of OERs point to research indicating that students do as well, and sometimes better, with OERs as with traditionally published textbooks. A study of 10 grant-funded OER projects in a Southeastern access public college found comparable results with the adoption of OERs but not the same level of improvement found in other studies. A deeper investigation into the work involved in the creation of an OER for a multi-section communication course found interesting patterns of use by students as well as a set of lessons learned for the creators.

Learner Perceptions of Open Pedagogy in a Psychology Course

A research and course re-design project was undertaken to document, evaluate, and report the effects of implementing an OER-enabled pedagogy project in a psychology course within Georgia Southwestern State University. The project involved redesigning alternative and ‘renewable assignments' in a course using open textbooks to replace some paper writing assignments that are ‘disposable.' Data was gathered from 42 students enrolled in the course, including surveys, student reviews, and instructor feedback. Results indicated that students prefer the renewable assignments, which helped them better understand the content and prepare for the exams. They also like to be involved in the decision process, such as the choice of assignment, including the questions they created in the exams. Feedback from instructors indicated that effort and time was about the same or slightly more effective in terms of course preparation, implementation, and student performance. However, students' engagement was increased, and improvements can certainly be made for next semester.