Over the past several years, many "OER Degree" programs have focused on adoption. The goal has been to remove commercial textbooks, and drive down the cost of educational materials. These efforts have not only saved students millions of dollars, but have also boosted student persistence and success. However, in many cases, students are still operating within the confines of a time-based traditional course. In February 2014, Thomas Edison State University and Saylor Academy came together to design a program that focused on assessment, rather than adoption. Thanks in part to our uniqueness (Saylor's library of hundreds of open courses and TESU's suite of prior learning assessments) we were able to create a degree program that built on both of our strengths, and provided students with a self-paced, low-risk, and affordable pathway to a degree. Three years later, hundreds of students have earned credits and degrees through the Open Course Option.
This presentation will examine the history of that partnership - its origins, its evolution, and its plans for the future. We'll share student outcomes and student voices, and also take a look at some of the obstacles that cropped up along the way. By sharing the lessons we have learned over the past three years, we hope to empower the audience to imagine other novel uses for OER.