This session provides results that show that OER initiatives DO make a different, and that this difference can be substantial. Open Educational Resources have been around for more than a decade, yet the majority of U.S. higher education faculty remain unaware. How can that be? Clearly, the marketing of OER as an idea to teaching faculty has failed. However, all is not lost. A Bay View Analytics study of 4,339 faculty and 1,431 chairpersons from public institutions shows that faculty who are aware of an OER initiative adopt OER at three to four times the rate of those who are not aware. Likewise, those aware of initiatives also report much higher willingness to consider future adoption of OER. These results span all types of faculty and all types of higher education institutions. The results demonstrate that there is potential to build far greater awareness of OER among teaching faculty, using the systems and mechanisms already in place. The presentation will address what next steps show the most promise, based on the reported results.
Learning Outcomes: Participants will learn: 1.What is an OER Initiative? 2.What are the different types of OER Initiatives? 3.What impact do OER Initiatives have on faculty decisions about course materials? 4.How does COVID impact OER adoptions and OER initiatives? 5.Recommendations and next steps for participants
