Library Guides: Open Education Resources: Why OER?

Why choose OER?

There are many reasons to choose OER materials: cost, accessibility, customizability, flexibility, and more. In the video below, instructors from UNH discuss the benefits they have seen by adopting Open Education Resources.

Search the resources linked below for articles on the benefits and challenges of Open Education Resources.

Articles about OER from Google Scholar
See a list of recent articles on Open Education Resources.
The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics by Colvard, Watson & Park (2018)
Comparing a section of a course that used an OER text to an earlier section that did not, the authors found that students posted higher grades, and the OER course sections had lower failure and withdrawal rates.
Open Education Resources from Educause
A collection of all EDUCAUSE resources related to open educational resources (OER) in higher education.
7 Things You Should Know About Open Educational Resources (Educause)
This flyer from Educause provides a definition for OER and an overview of the open learning movement.

Instructors at the University of New Hampshire talk about their experiences using open educational resources. They cite cost savings to students and the ability to adapt learning materials as a couple benefits of OER.