Students and instructors are being asked to provide feedback on the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs)
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are academic materials, used for the purposes of teaching, researching, and/or learning, that do not require royalties to be paid to an author or rights holder. Unlike traditional textbooks, OERs are not licensed in the same manner under copy right legislation. Alternatively, they exist in the ‘public domain’, having been released under an open license, wherein the material(s) can be shared without a traditional pay structure. OERs are particularly useful for post-secondary education, given the high cost of many academic materials.
The MSU, in partnership with McMaster’s OER Committee, is gathering the perspective of both students and instructors as to the costs associated with commercial educational materials on students, and the perceived viability of Open Educational Resources as an alternative amongst faculty. The data will guide advocacy work of student leaders both on campus, and within the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), in the area of OER adoption, adaptation, and creation.
The student survey can be found here. Respondents have a change to win one of two $50 TwelvEighty gift cards for participating.
The instructor focused survey can be found here.
The surveys will close in December, with data and analysis presented to the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) expected for February of 2022.
For more information, please contact:
Fraser McCauley
SRA Engineering
mccaulj@mcmaster.ca
or
Siobhan Teel
Vice-President (Education)
vped@msu.mcmaster.ca