Open educational resources can provide access to high-quality resources while offsetting the costs of traditional textbooks, but there is an array of costs associated with the "free" approach.
In this EDUCAUSE article, Nichole Karpel and Bruce Schneider explore the issues involved in implementing OER and finds that although OER content is free or low-cost, the curation, management, and assessment are not, and the costs can be significant.
In their review of existing studies, Karpel and Schneider found that it is important to start with a plan that provides resources, systems, training, and quantitative and qualitative measures of success. In addition to the processes involved in OER implementation, there are also pedagogical considerations.
The conversion to OER should be integrated with course-level assessments and a broader "outcomes-assessment" plan at the institutional level.
There are many perceived benefits of OER, with low or no-cost resources that are openly licensed and available for distribution being the most obvious. This article suggests that those institutions who are successful with OER, understand that extensive planning, selection, management, and maintenance is required.
Read the full article on EDUCAUSE.
