Why is research important in Textbook Affordability and OER?

• For evidence-based practice​
• To prove the efficacy of the methods and techniques ​
• To add legitimacy to the use of the materials​
• To ensure we are supporting student success​
• To determine areas of growth in the movement​
• To investigate the effectiveness of our own teaching ​
• To lend weight to anecdotal evidence​

Research Findings on OER

There is a wide variety of research conducted on OER.  An overview of the most significant findings are:

• OER rapidly improve end of course grades and DFW rates, particularly for underserved populations (Colvard, Watson, & Park, 2018) 
• Student and faculty perceptions of OER are generally positive once they are implemented (Hilton, 2016)
• Faculty are largely unaware of OER (Seaman & Seaman, 2017)
• Faculty cite many barriers to OER adoption including lack of institutional support and lack of discoverability (Belikov & Bodily, 2016)
• A large percentage of students (85%) have purchased a textbook they never had to use (Kinsey, King, & Miller, 2018)
• Student performance in course sections using OER is identical to performance in sections using traditional textbooks (Nusbaum et al., 2020)

What are Hot Topics in OER Research?

• Accessibility​
• Sustainability​
• Quality Assurance

Opportunities for OER Research

• OER implementation impact on student evaluations/ student perceptions of the instructor​
• Impact of OER implementation on instructor empowerment​
• Pedagogical implications of student-created OER​
• Supporting equity and inclusion with OER
• Global impact of OER​
• K-12 OER Research​
• Policy and OER​
• OER and overall student retention​
• OER and enrollment
• Impact of Creative Commons licensing​
• Impact of OER authoring on tenure and promotion process​
• Revise, reuse, remix, redistribute, retain – which is more prevalent?​
• What is missing in the body of OER materials?  Where is the gap?​
• Converting public domain/OER documents into anthologies or usable documents

References

Belikov, O. M., & Bodily, R. (2016). Incentives and barriers to OER adoption: A qualitative analysis of faculty perceptions. Open Praxis, 8(3), 235-246.

Colvard, N. B., Watson, C. E., & Park, H. (2018). The impact of open educational resources on various student success metrics. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 30(2), 262-276.

Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational technology research and development, 64(4), 573-590.

Kinskey, C., King, H., & Miller, C.L. (2018). Open Educational Resources: An Analysis of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Student Preferences. The Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 33(3), pp. 190-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2018.1500887

Nusbaum, A. T., Cuttler, C., & Swindell, S. (2020, January). Open educational resources as a tool for educational equity: Evidence from an introductory psychology class. Frontiers in Education, 4. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2019.00152/full

Seaman, J. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in US Higher Education, 2017. Babson Survey Research Group.