Open Education 2017

It has been shown that OER reduce cost of educational materials without risking academic success (Lovett et al., 2008; Hilton et al., 2013; Pawlyshyn et al., 2013; Bowen et al., 2014; Allen et al., 2015). Additionally, Hilton, Fischer, Wiley, and Williams (2016) demonstrate that students enrolled in courses with OER have a tendency to present higher course grades, are less likely to withdraw from the course, and have a higher chance of enrolling in more credit hours the following semester. While these initial findings are encouraging, studies also clearly acknowledge limitations within the research. In some cases, results are inconclusive and occasionally contradictory. Two factors that contribute to the complexity of studying OER are the nascency of this area of research and the difficulty of identifying causal relationship between OER and student learning and success outcomes.



While the literature shows the spectrum of benefits of OER, both financially at the institutional and student levels as well as facilitating access and student academic success, there is still a need for more research into the relationship between OER and student learning and success outcomes. The benefits of OER are not necessarily seen consistently across courses and institutions. This is confounded by the ever growing concerns around college completion.



This session provides a brief summary of current studies, focusing on methodologies and frameworks for research and identifies areas where more studies are needed. The rest of the session is set up like a workshop. It shares the developing research plan at SF State and includes interactive, hands-on time for participants to discuss their own research interests around OER. The workshop utilizes frameworks, guided questions, and templates to facilitate participant research plan development. Attendees will leave the session with tools to further develop and implement research at their own institutions.