Evaluation of open educational resources (OER) use in construction management technology courses

Abstract

Access to educational programs in Construction Management Technology can be limited by the high cost of textbooks, software, and other proprietary materials. The use of Open Education Resources (OER), which are materials that have low or no cost for academic use, can help address the issue of access. Construction Management Technology courses can realize this benefit relatively easily, as the needed resources may often be accessed or created based on materials available from public agencies at all levels of government. There are several goals other than reduced cost that should be addressed by OER use in Construction Management Technology. These include (1) meeting required student learning outcomes, (2) improving student attitudes re-garding educational access, and (3) fostering adaptation of the material to enhance student learning and provide current information. Having previously established a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of implement-ing OER in a Construction Management Technology course, the current work reports on the performance of OER use in an estimating course. Two sections of the course being offered in the Fall 2019 semester are evaluated herein based on cost of materials and achievement of the three goals outlined. These are compared to a non-OER section of the course also being offered in Fall 2019, as well as performance in offerings of the same estimating course before OER implementation.