In this session, we will share the data reported from OER Grantees who have participated in the Colorado OER Grant Program. We will discuss how having a sponsored and financially supported program has led to gains in OER awareness and adoption. Overall themes include large increases in the amount of OER champions on campuses, institutions tracking student cost savings, and administration support of OER.
We will share quantitative, qualitative, and anecdotal data regarding the progress of grantees during the first 1.5 years of OER grant operations. We will also discuss case studies which highlight the value of open education beyond cost savings.
What’s clear is OER saves students money, but this investment matters beyond the financial benefit. OER and open education practices help educators redesign approaches to teaching through innovative methods, ultimately supporting the transformation of education for the future of learning. The work inspired by the OER legislation is important to students and educators everywhere.
We will discuss these specific key findings from our annual report: 1. Current performance measures indicate a striking return on the State’s initial investment. 2. National trends and local data suggest OER supports student learning outcomes while lowering costs for students. 3. Building capacity and funding creates a statewide ecosystem for successful OER adoption.
Background
Containing costs for students in higher education is paramount to the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and the State of Colorado. Although data suggest that earning a postsecondary credential improves individual earning potential and offers robust return on investment, the cost of college or technical school remains a barrier. To this end, CDHE is building capacity for wide-scale implementation of open educational resources (OER), free or very low-cost teaching and learning materials that live in the open domain. Pursuing this strategy was borne out of a bill that created a statewide OER Council and grant program.
OERs, practices and philosophy have inspired educators to innovate by reinvigorating curricula, starting free textbook campaigns and more. This is a direct result of two key factors for institutional capacity: 1) State-supported OER grant funding and training opportunities and 2) the willingness of expert educators from all disciplines to continue to innovate their educational practices for the student benefit.
Learning Outcomes: As a result of attending the session, colleagues will: Receive an overview of statewide data from the Colorado OER Grant program; including aggregate data from grantees, qualitative feedback on the OER grant, impact of OER on various types of campuses (community colleges. 4-years), and survey result from grantees. Learn about the impact of a campus grant to and new or existing OER initiatives at various types of campuses. Engage in an open review of the data collection and analysis process
