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OER – out of the shadows and into the light?

1 November 19th, 2010 at 01:11

Is the OER debate about to be thrust front and centre by the restructure of HE funding and the need to provide more detailed course information to prospective and current students alike?

I’ve believed for a while that it should be and the recent policy report ‘Managing Students’ Expectations of University’ produced by Dr Harriet Dunbar-Morris on behalf of the 1994 Group has only strengthened that belief.

As outlined in the report the group believe that “Government proposals to increase graduate contributions will make it more important than ever for universities to demonstrate the benefits they offer. “

The report goes on to say that “providing transparent and accurate information about universities and the nature of what they offer should be a priority in delivering excellent student experience and managing student expectations of university. Research shows that students need clear and accessible information to enable them to understand the choices available. Prospective students deserve more than glossy advertising prospectuses to inform crucial decisions about which university to attend and which course to study.”

The report has been produced by the 1994 group as part of the JISC funded ‘Student Expectations of University’ project’ and while it does not refer to OER directly, it is easy to see how OER might contribute to the areas they have highlighted.

At Nottingham the OER team is working closely with the marketing teams to ensure that OER materials can be made available through the on-line and print prospectuses. This is in the early stages of planning as the new undergraduate prospectus isn’t going live until May 2011 but this would give prospective students much more detail about modules and courses that are available to them.

We have recently published 3 resources from the School of Politics and International Relations of the type that are being considered for inclusion in the prospectuses:

Approaches to political studies

British public policy

Fictionalised politics: how politics and politicians are represented in the US and the UK

The resources are based around the module handbooks usually given to enrolled students at the start of the module. By providing this material to prospective students, they can make a much more informed decision about what is included in a course and what it is like to study at the University.

There are also benefits for current students, who will have an additional on-line method for looking at the details of modules, which might help to shape their study choices.

In helping students, the schools and institutions who are engaged in making detailed resources available are also potentially helping themselves. They could be grabbing competitive advantage at a time when transparency and an understanding of what you get for your money are becoming higher priority in the minds of students and parents.

Cost won’t be the key consideration for all, location, reputation and eventual employability will of course still remain high in the list (as will the number of bars in a 1 mile radius). I would argue though, that even where cost is fifth on the list, being able to see what you are signing up for trumps being able to see things like the module code number, the number of credits you will achieve and the high level learning outcomes. Having read through the politics handbooks, I now have an accurate construction of what the topic is about. I value even more the diversity of the subject and the pedigree of the academics that unlock it for those that enrol or those that can now choose (or have no other choice) to study informally.

Another question on my mind is whether OER practitioners have spotted the opportunity to engage senior management at this crucial time. Much is talked about implementing sustainable models of OER, yet is there evidence of this happening? By integrating OER with emerging strategies and desires to better inform students, it has a real chance to offer measureable benefits to institutions and therefore become truly sustainable.

I know that for many, the promotional aspects of OER come down the list behind philanthropic motivations to ensure access for all. Some even cite marketing models as a negative by-product of OER publication. My view is that OER and promotion do and should go hand in hand. If we can start to demonstrate the tangible benefits, we will then have forged a space to work on the educational benefits that fist attracted me to OER, and without having to worry about what happens if the funding runs out.

Returning to the 1994 Group report, it cites statistics from ‘The First Year Experience Survey’ which was carried out by the Higher Education Academy in 2006. It showed “41% of those who knew little or nothing about their course before enrolment had thought about leaving, compared to 25% of those who knew a moderate amount or a lot – strongly suggesting that the more students know about their institutions and courses before enrolling, the less likely they are to consider dropping out.” It would be interesting to see some more up to date numbers but even so it is difficult to argue against the potential that OER has to help bring those numbers down whilst providing another opportunity to measure impact.

The 1994 group report also highlights reasons students might not be prepared for HE, as outlined by the National Audit Office, in their 2007 paper ‘staying the course: the retention of students in higher education, NAO 2007.

Once again, it doesn’t take much to see how OER might help to chip away at some of the reasons raised, which include:

• the course content may not be what the student was expecting;
• students may not have the study skills in place for success, or realise the extent to which progress will rely on self-direction;
• students may not realise the level of commitment required to succeed;
• the level of the course may be too difficult;
• wrong choice of course;
• students may be channelled into inappropriate subjects (especially working class men);
•  lack of information about higher education can lead to stereotypical choices of course and institution (especially students from disadvantaged areas);
• students may not have researched their choice deeply, especially if entering late;

If you didn’t take a look at one of the Politics modules earlier – have a look at Fictionalised Politics now – you will find information that helps chip away at many of the reasons listed above.

To conclude, I think it is important to note that I’m not suggesting OER is a silver bullet. It is still early days in the life cycle of OER and work is needed in many areas by many groups for its potential to come fully to the surface. If given the chance though, I do think it can play its part in improving the student experience and could help institutions prosper in the shifting world of higher education.