Full details of the methods aren't given, but surveys were undertaken by project partners, and, aggregated, there were (in terms of number of respondents) "By role: informal learners (50.3%, n= 3212); formal learners (24.7%, n= 1578); educators (21.6%, n=1382); and librarians (3.4%, n=218)". They were aiming to test 11 hypotheses, namely: Use of OER leads to improvement in student performance and satisfaction; The Open Aspect of OER creates different usage and adoption patterns than other online resources; Open Education models lead to more equitable access to education, serving a broader base of learners than traditional education; etention: Use of OER is an effective method for improving retention for at-risk students; Reflection: Use of OER leads to critical reflection by educators, with evidence of improvement in their practice; Finance: OER adoption at an institutional level leads to financial benefits for students and/or institutions; Informal learners use a variety of indicators when selecting OER; Informal learners adopt a variety of techniques to compensate for the lack of formal support, which can be supported in open courses; Open education acts as a bridge to formal education, and is complementary, not competitive, with it; Participation in OER pilots and programs leads to policy change at an institutional level; Informal means of assessment are motivators to learning with OER.
A short section is devoted to presenting evidence relevant to each hypothesis.
de los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Perryman, L.-A., Pitt, R. & Weller, M. (2014). OER Evidence Report 2013-2014: building understanding in open education. http://oerresearchhub.org/2014/11/19/oer-evidence-report-2013-2014/
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn leaves, November 2014
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