Open education resources and perceptions of financial value

Abstract

Although Open Educational Resources (OER) may have financial benefits for students, there are few empirical research studies that investigate whether students recognize the financial value of OER or if they believe that traditional course materials better support their learning. Students and instructors at seven different colleges in a public university system in the Northeast United States participated in a study where OER were implemented as replacement for traditional course materials. Students and instructors were surveyed at the end of each course and reported a general, positive view of the impact OER had on learning outcomes. However, many students and faculty still rated traditional course materials to have greater financial value than OER. Suggestions, based on this finding, are offered for institutions looking to pursue OER programs on their campuses.