This submission will state the pros and cons of open education resources (OER) based

on the module’s readings, video lecture and the author’s perspective.

Open educational resources describe any type of educational resources that are openly
available for use by any individual regardless of their occupation, and without an
accompanying need to pay royalties or license fees (Butcher, Neil, 2015)). The
educational resources can be in form of curriculum maps, streaming videos,
multimedia applications, podcasts, course materials and any other resources that can
be used in learning and teaching.
The existence of OER’s is because of the emergence of the internet which has
provided people with the access to utilize these materials. The 21 st Century indeed has
proved to be a very resourceful era, and hence there should be no excuse for
individuals not to possess the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in their
professions. OERs has proved to be the best alternative to commercial textbooks.
OER has got pros and cons. https://oer.psu.edu/benefits-of-using-oer/

Pros of OER
 Availability and accessibility: OER’s can be accessed at any time and repeatedly
by the users regardless of their geographical location.
 Low cost: accessing OER’s reduces the cost of books that learners would have
purchased in the absence of OERs. Institutions and learners can access these
resources without any additional costs.
 Active learning: OERs encourage active learning as users of these resources will
have to learn by doing and creating and not by passively reading and absorbing.
 Collaboration: OER encourages collaboration because the resources available
are from various organizations and individuals that have contributed over a period
to ensure that quality education can be attained.
 Restrictions: OERs consist of resources for various levels of education unlike
open courseware which only focuses on college and higher education materials.
 Scalability: Most OER’s are in form of soft copy, this makes it easy for them to
be shared and distributed.
 Continuous improvement: OERs can be improved or edited quickly by users
unlike textbooks and other static sources of information.
 Enhancement for regular course: Multimedia materials such as videos can be
used to accompany text, hence presenting information in multiple formats.
 Showcasing of innovation and talent: Materials uploaded on the OER can be
accessed by donors and potential students and faculty and therefore enhance
recruitment efforts.
 Up to date: Most materials on OER are up-to-date and can be easily updated.
 Flexibility: Since OERs come in different forms, users have the flexibility to
choose the type of material that best works for them, either in multimedia or text
form.
Cons of OER
 Authenticity: Since many OERs can be posted by any user with an account, some
resources may be inaccurate or irrelevant hence affecting the quality of the
 materials.
 Language barriers: Most OERs are in English language which limits their
usefulness to non-English speakers. Additionally, not all resources are culturally
appropriate for all audiences.
 Technological issues: A slow or erratic internet connection may hinder users from
accessing the materials.
 Sustainability issues: Since most OER creators do not get incentives or payments
for their OER, there may be little incentive for them to update their OER to ensure
that the resources will continue to be available online.
 Lack of human interaction: since OERs are meant to be shared outside the
classroom environment, there is no human interaction which leads to students
missing out on discussions, and instructor feedback.
Conclusion
OER’s vary in quality, and it is important for instructors using these resources to
carefully evaluate the materials before using them in their classroom to ascertain their
usefulness, validity, relevance, and quality. The OER’s can be evaluated by measuring
against the educator’s learning outcomes. Educators must ensure that the selected
resources from the OER are effective in meeting the desired learning outcomes.
The emergence of OER has provided access to many people around the globe with
educational resources that could not have been achieved previously. The flexibility
that OERs provide makes it easy for different types of learners to access the
information they need in their most preferred manner. Educators must be proactive in
how they conduct their instruction by using a variety OERs so that they are able to
cater to the various learner types.
OERs are the best alternative to pricey textbooks from commercial publishers. More
research must be carried out on the effects of OER on students’ success rates
compared to the textbooks from commercial publishers. This submission stated the
pros and cons of open education resources (OER) based on the module’s readings,
video lecture and the author’s perspective.
Reference
Butcher, Neil. (2015). A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER).
Commonwealth of Learning (COL); United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)