Ithaka S+R Publishes New Report on Open Educational Resources (Case Studies)

From an Ithaka S+R Blog Post:

In the fall of 2023 we announced the launch of a new research project, funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, designed to assess the impact and implementation of open educational resource (OER) initiatives at public institutions of higher education.

Today, we are publishing the resulting report, based on an initial literature review and interviews with OER leaders in four US states. In Charting the Course: Case Studies in OER Sustainability, we identify five key takeaways:

• There is no one-size-fits-all model for how OER initiatives are sustained.
• OER initiatives flourish when they align with institutional priorities are framed as a tool that can address several goals beyond affordability, such as advancing equity, access, or instructional innovation.
• Academic libraries are central nodes in OER champion networks.
• Awareness of and enthusiasm for OERs are increasing in our case study states, but the devil is in the details.
• Ensuring that OERs reflect the diversity of student populations is crucial in fostering student engagement and academic success.

Read the Complete Blog Post

Direct to Full Text Report: Charting the Course: Case Studies in OER Sustainability
Direct to Full Text Report: PDF Version; 24 pages

Report Authors: Ioana Hulbert; Deirdre Harkins; and Mark McBride
DOI: 10.18665/sr.321988

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Interviews, Libraries, News, Publishing