The Pedagogical Implications of OER
Selection of course materials is one of the few ways in which faculty have complete control over one of the costs of higher education. The role of OER in reducing these costs cannot be understated. However, OER also have the power to enable new forms of open pedagogy. Course materials that are free from most copyright restrictions allow faculty to design and implement innovative teaching methods which can engage students in new and exciting ways. This section showcases the potential of open pedagogy, and describes the role of the academic librarian within it.
First, Amaral explores the complementary alignment of the OER community and academic libraries. Through the lens of OER initiatives supported by the City University of New York (CUNY) and implemented at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Amaral describes how an active and engaged culture can emerge when librarians set clear goals and work collaboratively for the public good.
In a similar vein, Reed talks about collaboration between scholarly communication librarians and information literacy librarians in support of OER initiatives, and underscores the importance of partnering with colleges and departments in the development and use of OER and open pedagogy.
Reed and Turner share that there are experiential learning opportunities inherent in OER initiatives. Specifically, the authors describe a student internship program focused on designing guidelines, criteria, and standards for evaluating OER for accessibility for disabled students and their use in the classroom.
Decisions on the adoption of course materials into open resources can be based on more than cost and accessibility. These decisions are often complex and influenced by existing cultures, policies, and other considerations. Walz explains an opportunity for open education advocates to overcome these obstacles to create more transparent, deliberate practices when evaluating and selecting required materials.
Finally, through multiple examples of open pedagogical practice across several disciplines, Jhangiani and Green explore how pedagogy, not tools or texts, is at the heart of OER advocacy efforts. For these authors, the resources and staff of an academic library provide the optimal locale to cultivate an individual’s pedagogical efforts.
