8 Train and Prepare Students

Transparency is key when introducing students to OER.  Remember to give explanation about why you are using OER and how they fit with the course learning objectives.  When introducing students, here are some other tips and when you can get students to acquainted with OER.

• Demonstrate live: Show students how to access and use these resources in real-time during class.
• Assign exploration: Give students a task to explore one or more of these OER types and report back on what they find. What are these types? What’s this referring to?
• Contextualize: Explain how each type of OER will be used in your specific course and why it was chosen.
• Encourage feedback: Ask students for their thoughts on these different OER types and how they might be most useful. Is this for like an activity where students themselves choose an OER for the course?
• Provide a guide: Create a quick reference guide that students can use throughout the course, listing the types of OER you’ll be using and how to access them.
• Start small: If OER is new to your course, consider introducing just one or two types initially, and then expanding in future semesters based on student feedback and your experience.

Ways to Introduce Students to OER

Start with a clear definition: Begin by explaining that OER are freely accessible, openly licensed educational materials that can be used, shared, and modified.

Provide examples: Show students various types of OER, such as open textbooks, videos, interactive simulations, and quizzes.

• OpenStax textbooks
• PhET Interactive Simulations
• MIT OpenCourseWare videos

Demonstrate accessibility: Walk students through how to access the specific OER you’ll be using in your course.

• BCcampus Open Education’s guide on finding and using OER

Explain open licensing: Briefly introduce the concept of Creative Commons licenses, focusing on what students can do with the materials.

• Explain open licensing: Creative Commons licenses explained

Contextualize OER: Discuss the broader open education movement and why it matters.

• UNESCO’s OER timeline

Address common misconceptions: Clarify that “free” doesn’t mean lower quality, and that OER are created by experts in their fields.

• SPARC’s OER Mythbusting

Highlight the digital nature: Emphasize that most OER are digital, discussing both the benefits (easy access, searchability) and potential challenges (need for internet access).

• OER Commons digital library

Encourage exploration: Give students time to browse OER repositories or the specific resources for your course.

• MERLOT collection of OER

Provide a guided tour: Walk through the main OER for your course, showing students how to navigate and use them effectively.

• Video tour of OpenStax Biology textbook

Connect to course goals: Explain how OER align with and support the learning objectives of your course.

• University of Hawaii OER Project’s alignment with learning objectives

Introducing Benefits and Challenges with Using OER

Use student testimonials. Share quotes or video clips from previous students who’ve used OER.

• This video features students from Kwantlen Polytechnic University discussing their experiences with OER, including cost savings and improved access to materials.

Be honest about challenges. Acknowledge that using OER might feel different at first, and that’s okay.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0GX4QPchvSQ%3Fsi%3DR45zAtYKzciGxSfE

Explain Different Way OER Can Be Used in the Classroom

• Example: OpenStax Biology textbook

Usage: Replace traditional textbooks with comprehensive OER textbooks

For supplementary reading materials:

• Example: MIT OpenCourseWare Supplemental Resources for Linear Algebra

Usage: Provide additional context and explanations beyond the main course text.

As interactive learning tools:

• Example: PhET Interactive Simulations for Science and Math

Usage: Engage students with hands-on, virtual experiments and visualizations.

For assessment and practice:

• Example: OpenStax Tutor

Usage: Assign homework, quizzes, and practice problems from OER repositories.

As case studies:

Example: OER Africa’s AgShare case studies

• Usage: Use real-world examples to illustrate course concepts.

For student-created content:

• Example: Wiki Education program

Usage: Have students contribute to or create OER as part of course assignments.

As multimedia resources:

• Example: TED-Ed free educational videos

Usage: Incorporate educational videos into lectures or assign for out-of-class viewing.

For collaborative projects:

• Example: H5P interactive content

Usage: Create or use interactive OER content for group work and peer learning.

As research materials:

• Example: Directory of Open Access Journals