Image courtesy of Iwaria (CC0)
Students frequently appear disengaged with academic work. In a world filled with competing distractions, apps, and social media, their attention is constantly being pulled in different directions. Academic tasks often feel disconnected from their everyday lives and, despite being potentially interesting, might be perceived as dry and somewhat boring.
The adaptability and flexibility of Open Educational Resources (OER) allow educators to create engaging lessons. Encouraging students to use and modify these resources can enhance their knowledge retention and encourage social interactions among the peers.
Engaging Students in the Learning Process
OER can engage students in several ways. First, the accessibility of OER ensures that all students, regardless of their financial situation, have access to high-quality educational materials. Access to different types of learning materials, appealing to various learning preferences, can increase student motivation and participation. Additionally, OER often include interactive elements such as quizzes, videos, and discussion forums, which can make learning more dynamic and engaging. These resources can be updated and customized to fit the needs of the students, making the learning experience more relevant and interesting.
An example of an openly licensed set of resources that encourage high levels of student engagement is PHeT, a library of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics simulations. Students can adjust various variables to manipulate an experiment’s outcome.
Visit: PhET: online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and math simulations
Empowering Students as Creators and Contributors
One of the most powerful aspects of OER is its ability to empower students to become creators and contributors to the educational content. Students can be involved in the creation and adaptation of OER, which can enhance their learning experience and provide them with valuable skills. For example, students can contribute to the development of open textbooks, create reference materials, or even develop entire courses (and possibly lead the teaching process with their peers). This not only helps students to deepen their understanding of the subject matter but also gives them a sense of ownership and pride in their work.
One such example is a student generated open dictionary. isiXhosa.click is an openly licensed online dictionary for isiXhosa and English (CC BY-SA). This student-led project at the University of Cape Town aims to create a free, open source and easily usable dictionary for learners of the isiXhosa language. The team of four students want to create a dictionary that is accessible, cost effective, and authorative. | Jaydon Walters, CC BY-SA |
Fostering a Culture of Collaboration
OER foster a culture of collaboration among students, educators, and institutions. Since OER are openly licensed, they can be shared, modified, and reused by anyone. This encourages collaboration and sharing of best practices among educators, which can lead to improved teaching methods and materials. For students, working with OER can promote collaborative learning experiences, such as group projects and peer reviews. This collaborative approach can help students develop important skills such as teamwork, communication, and critical thinking.
Students can play a key role in collaboration through Open Educational Resources (OER) in several ways:
- Content Creation: Students can contribute by creating their own educational materials, such as study guides, videos, and presentations, which can then be shared on OER platforms. Consider the isiXhosa.click dictionary project above.
- Peer Review: By participating in the review process, students can provide feedback on OER materials, helping to improve the quality and relevance of the resources. This fosters critical thinking and analytical skills.
- Collaborative Projects: Students from different regions or countries can collaborate on projects using OER. For example, they can work together on a science experiment or a research paper, sharing their findings and learning from each other’s perspectives. (See Box below)
- Adaptation and Localization: Students can take existing OER materials and adapt them to their local context. This might involve translating resources into different languages, adding culturally relevant examples, or modifying content to align with their curriculum.
- Community Engagement: By engaging with online communities centred around OER, students can discuss topics, share ideas, and support one another in their learning journeys. This creates a global network of learners contributing to a collective pool of knowledge.
At Henrietta Stockdale Nursing College in Kimberley, South Africa, students participated in a collaborative activity to adapt open content. The lecturer organized the creation of a Wiki on various psychological theories and theorists.
Each student team researched and sourced open content, which they then used to create an overview of their assigned approach and its impact on nursing practice. These Wiki pages were used to teach their peers, providing a holistic understanding of the subject.
Conclusion
OER have the potential to transform the educational landscape by engaging students in the learning process, empowering them as creators and contributors, and fostering a culture of collaboration. By leveraging the benefits of OER, educators can create more inclusive, interactive, and collaborative learning environments that can enhance student success and satisfaction. As the use of OER continues to grow, it is essential for educators and institutions to support and promote these resources to fully realize their potential in education.