Iterating Toward Openness

AUGUST 31, 2022

This article started out with my being bothered by the fact that ‘OER adoption reliably saves students money but does not reliably improve their outcomes.’ ’ For many years OER advocates have told faculty, “When you adopt OER your students save money and get the same or better outcomes!”

OER 162

OER Outcomes Comparison Study 162

Edsurge

JANUARY 15, 2019

But fans of OER are increasingly facing a problem. While OER started off as free online textbooks, it still costs money to produce these materials, and professors often need guidance finding which ones are high quality. So OER advocates are realizing they need to change their pitch.

OER 119

OER Course Resources Libraries 119

Edsurge

JULY 25, 2019

That figure includes texts procured legally, like open educational resources (known as OER), and illegally, such as pirated files shared through torrent websites. For example, in mid-July, publishing giant Pearson announced it will adopt a “digital first” strategy for updating college course materials.

Course 126

Course OER Pearson Survey 126

Iterating Toward Openness

JANUARY 13, 2017

Educational materials published under an open license are called open educational resources (OER). When digital educational materials become OER, they are converted back into public goods. Instructional designers, faculty, and other educators and administrators should develop a basic understanding of OER. Education is Sharing.

OER 60

OER Resources Education Pearson 60

Hack Education

DECEMBER 6, 2016

The cost of developing courses, for universities, remains incredibly high – $350,000 for each course that was part of the Georgia Tech and Udacity partnership, for example. Coursera launched “ Coursera for Business ” in August, for example, just a few weeks after Koller announced her departure from the company.

MOOC 40

MOOC Technology OER Coursera 40

Hack Education

DECEMBER 30, 2019

That being said, if you’re using a piece of technology that’s free, it’s likely that your personal data is being sold to advertisers or at the very least hoarded as a potential asset (and used, for example, to develop some sort of feature or algorithm). Certainly “free” works well for cash-strapped schools. Students would be required to pay.

Pearson 145

Pearson MOOC Company Software 145

Hack Education

JANUARY 18, 2017

She seemed to fail to grasp some of the basics of education policy – the difference between “ proficiency ” and “ growth ,” for example, and the federal rules surrounding disability rights and education. Via eCampus News : “ Cengage launches MindTap ACE, an OER-based solution for higher ed.”

Education 40

Education Pearson E-rate MOOC 40