Creating an OER Course to Enhance Student Learning

Creating an OER Course to Enhance Student

LearningKipp Snow

Brandi UlrichAnne Arundel Community College

Attendees to this session will:

• Gain an understanding of what an OER is

• Identify the challenges that exist in creating similar courses

• Learn how to implement similar strategies in traditional online and face-to-face courses

What are OERs?

• What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?

• Open Education  "...is the simple and powerful idea that the world’s knowledge is a public good and that technology in general and the Worldwide Web in particular provide an extraordinary opportunity for everyone to share, use, and reuse knowledge." —The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Why OER?

• Textbook costs increasing• Curriculum changes daily• To Improve student success in learning

• Content built into modules with intermittent activities designed to provide authentic assessment

• High level of student to instructor engagement• More flexibility in content delivery and take

students needs into greater consideration

Why Implement in a F2F

• OER courses are typically implemented in the online environment

• Final goal is to implement in an online environment

• F2F implementation allows for • Students to participate in a dynamic, synergistic

learning environment• Increases student engagement• Systematic process in the instruction design

Course Implementation

• Course was modularly based with learning objectives for each module aligned with course objectives

• Course was team taught with each instructor showcasing their expertise in the curriculum

• Used a version of the Flipped Classroom model

Flipped Classroom

Model

Flipped Classrooms swap traditional

lecture and homework components in a

classroom. Students read or watch the

lecture based material as homework and complete in class

activities.http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/

Our class – Business and Its Enviornment

BPA 111, 010 - T/Th, 12:30 – 1:45

Demographics

1514

Gender

Male Female

Demographics

Student Base

High School College

Demographics

18 19 20 21 22 > 220123456789

Age Breakdown

Demographics

0-3 4-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 60+0123456789

Previous Credits Earned

Identify Student Preferences and Perceptions

• What do you think the percentages of students would rather • read text of the course material, • watch a video of the course material, • or a combination of both?

Pre-Course Survey

1

5

20

Would you rather read text of the course material, watch a video of the course material, or a combi-

nation of both?Read written text of the course ma-terial

Watch videos of the course ma-terial

Combination of written text and videos

Pre-Course Survey

163

7

What are your initial thoughts about not

having a textbook for this course?

PositiveIndifferentNegative

• Positive comments:– Textbook costs– Easier / Ideal– Interested in the

concept• Negative:

– Rather have book– Harder to take

notes– Hassle to use

technology

Pre-Course Survey

12

9

5

Pre Survey: What do you perceive as a barriers to suc-

cess in this course, if any?Course Based Barriers

Person-ally Based Barriers

None

• Course Based:– Structure– Student/Instructor

communication– Course content– Material availability– Online Component

• Personally Based:– Time management– HS to College

transition– Personal Learning

styles

Resources Used

• OER Textbooks• Government Publications• YouTube Videos• Connexions• Materials from AACC Library Databases• Other Web Sources• Education Portal• OER Courses• Business Journals• College/University Publications

Challenges and Rewards

Challenges

• Lack of published information on OER in f2f

• Finding suitable, credible resources

• Formatting/appearance of resources

• Student mindset

Rewards

• Flexibility of curriculum

• High levels of student success

Challenge - Resources

• Amount of resources available

• Finding exactly what you want• Can you use it?• Can you edit it?• Will it work with

the other materials?

Challenge - Resources

Challenge - Resources

Challenge - Resources

Challenge – Student Mindset

• Constructive feedback centered on non-traditional formats• “I needed a textbook to function in class”• “Online stuff was hard to understand and

remember”• “I probably would have preferred a textbook

as well as the internet readings.”• “I did not like having to read online. I am

better when I have the physical material.”

Rewards -Flexibility of Curriculum

• Ability to adapt the course to meet departmental course learning objectives

• Ability to include up-to-the-minute current events

• Ability to see deficiencies in student learning and provide supplemental activities or content to support content mastery

Rewards - Grades

Final Grades02468

1012141618

ABCDF

Rewards - Grade Comparison

A B C D F0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

47.77%

25.45%

14.29%

6.70% 5.80%

55.17%

31.03%

3.45%6.90%

3.45%

Textbook OER

Rewards - Post-Course Survey

20

1

Do you feel like your learning goals/objectives for the course

were met?

YesNo

Rewards - Post-Course Survey

3

5

2

9

Did you face any barriers to success in this course?

Yes - Textbook content relatedYes - Personal learning methodsYes - First time col-legeNo

Rewards - Post-Course Survey

0102030

Helped a great deal

Helped a good deal

Helped helped a littledid not help was not used

Rewards – Student Feedback

• Positive feedback supported the use of in-class discussions, real-life examples, module presentations, and lectures• “I liked getting to reflect on the course material with my

classmates….”• “Assignments made me have to think like a business owner….”• “Class discussions were very beneficial because we not only

learned the material, but we talked about real life situations and how we could use that material.”

• “Not having a book allowed for an open and more conscious class setting. Rather than having discussions on previous material we use the time to discuss new methods of productivity”

• “He posted articles and readings … which really helped with taking notes.”

Opportunities for Course Enhancement

• Begin course with more information about OER and technology requirements

• Consistency is key• Accessible information• Incorporate ways to encourage

reading/pre-class preparations• Include relevant industry related

information

Activity – Roundtable Discussion

• List potential obstacles that may exist in your own (institution, classroom, etc.) for implementation

• List pros and cons of using an OER textbook or multiple resources

• What courses do you teach that is conducive to OER?

• What are pros and cons of building it?

Questions??

Kipp Snowkcsnow@aacc.edu

410-777-2923

Brandi Ulrichblulrich@aacc.edu

410-777-2895