If you told anyone twenty years ago that prestigious universities and institutions would give the general public access to their tools and information that were used to teach and educate their students, you would be called crazy or irrational. That being said, in 2002 the first open educational resources (OER’s) were introduced into the realm of open and online learning (Weller, 2018).  These resources have proven to be some of the most crucial building blocks in the rapidly growing ecosystem, providing limitless amounts of information and tools to students and educators alike for absolutely no cost!

 

One of the first schools to begin the OER movement was the Michigan Institute of Technology (MIT) with their OpenCourseWare program that provides educators and students alike with helpful resources, tools and even full-length courses (Weller, 2018).  This initiative has inspired plenty of other schools to follow along creating a vast bank of helpful open access resources that are widely available on the internet.  For example, one of my English courses last semester continually referred to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for information regarding correct citation and formatting when writing papers and other assignments.  Initially I was quite confused thinking “why is UVic stealing this information and not just referring to their own formatting and citation manuals” but throughout this course I have learned exactly why this is not the case.  In Weller’s 2020 article on open educational resources, they talk about the importance of consistency in information such as formatting and citations and how more does not always necessarily mean better.  But rather having fewer more reputable resources being used assures that there is a consistent understanding of how to format and cite.  After learning this, I had a far greater respect and understanding for why one institution would be using another’s information or tools in a situation such as this, allowing for less confusion or misinformation to occur.

 

Weller defines an open educational resource as “[any] teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions”(2020).  This definition made me think and reflect upon my use and involvement with OER’s and how much they have benefitted me throughout my education journey without me even noticing!  Often these readily available resources are taken for granted due to their convenience and availability but should be put in high regard as they are essential in providing open learning opportunities.  One main reason that these resources differ from traditional ones is the removal of the financial burden that follows.  In a discussion paper from the Canadian Association of University Teachers they discuss the fact that “the cost of textbooks has increased by 129% in the past fifteen years” (2020).  This becomes a roadblock for any budget constrained student that has a plethora of other costs such as tuition, rent and food.  Having to make a choice whether to get textbooks or buy dinner has ethical implications written all over it, proving just how essential and important open educational resources are such as open-source textbooks.

 

Although open educational resources are seen as widely available, there are still plenty of concerns regarding equity and following of the UDL guidelines that we learned about during our topic 4 readings.  For example, just because these resources are available online does not mean that everyone has access to the internet.  Or some countries have internet censorship laws in place, such as China or Iran.  These are just a few of the limitations and roadblocks that cause equity concerns when regarding OER’s.  These limitations and concerns make me extremely grateful for the privileged opportunities I am given as a white male Canadian citizen.  The UDL guidelines are essential in maintaining equality and equity within open online resources, allowing for everyone to have a fair, equal opportunity to use them.  These guidelines aim to “[address] systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes” (CAST, 2018).  Addressing these barriers that learners experience is essential in creating a fair and equally accessible ecosystem that promotes diversity and does not exclude anyone based on their similarities or differences.  One section of the UDL guidelines that is extremely important for OER’s is providing the learner with multiple means of representation.  For example, with visual information, resources should provide customizable display options such as font colour, size and contrast options to aid those with visual impairments along with alternate language options for those who speak foreign languages.  For the hearing impaired the UDL guidelines suggest implementing automated speech-to-text systems and American Sign Language (ASL) to ensure equal opportunity to learn (CAST, 2018).  These guidelines are a great way to ensure that open educational resources are equally available and do not exclude any scholar trying to benefit from using them.

 

Throughout this course I have learned about the vast ecosystem of EdTech trends and how they have helped build and establish open learning opportunities.  The most important EdTech trend that I have learned about through my experiences is the introduction of open educational resources.  These resources are the core essential building blocks that create opportunities for open and online learning to occur and will continue to be pivotal in the growth of open learning for the foreseeable future.  My respect and admiration for those providing and creating these resources has also grown exponentially as they allow for those less fortunate to have an opportunity to learn and grow to improve themselves through open-sourced education.  I think the continued growth in openly available resources such as the ones we have learned about in EDCI 339 will continue to greatly benefit and grow to eventually become the new “traditional” way of education that once seemed foreign, some twenty years ago.

 

 

Resources:

Weller, M. (2018, August). Twenty Years of Edtech. EDUCAUSE Review, 53(4). Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/7/twenty-years-of-edtech

Weller, M. (2020). Chapter 11 – Open Educational Resources. 25 Years of Edtech. AU Press. Retrieved from https://read.aupress.ca/read/25-years-of-ed-tech/section/ad633722-07b5-494f-80e7-a572f543bc1c#ch11

Canadian Association of University Teachers. (2019, March). Open Educational Resources Discussion Paper. https://www.caut.ca/sites/default/files/caut-discussion-paper-open-educational-resources-2019-03.pdf

Bali, B., Cronin, C., Czerniewicz, L., DeRosa, R. & Jhangiani, R. (2020) Open at the Margins. Rebus Community Pressbooks. Retrieved from: https://press.rebus.community/openatthemargins/

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org