The OER project continues. Different
advantages and disadvantages are becoming apparent as the term progresses.
Overall, it seems like most of the challenges can be overcome, it just takes
more time and effort than I’d anticipated. Also, I’d like to note there is a
lot the OER project has not changed about my class. Labs and interactive
activities still remain the focus, many of which rely little on resources
outside of class.
From my perspective, my biggest challenge is that there are
not as many figures as I’m accustomed to in the main OpenStax resources I’m
using. I’ve found myself spending a lot of additional time designing my own and
or seeing if I can find anything in the Wikimedia commons I can adapt to
include in my mini-lectures. Additionally, some of the subtle differences in
the text are starting to annoy me. I find myself saying things like “Seriously,
how the heck can this text not emphasize the majority of the water is adsorbed
in the small intestine. Now I need to find something else that does hit on this
point!” I didn’t even notice several of these minor details when reading
through these sources before the term. There are some fun and current examples
and cases I haven’t used in the past that I have added to my class since they
are included in some of the new resources. While worthy additions, sometimes
quite a bit of additional background research is needed to fully explain and
incorporate these new cases.
I asked the students what they thought of the OERs on the
midterm exam (no credit for their answer, but most were happy to help). All
appreciate not having to pay for a book, but there were other areas that
opinions were more mixed on. Some students said they prefer to have a physical
copy, since that would make them more likely to read it or would allow them to
keep it for later. Those comments surprised me since I mentioned early on that
they could have the relatively few chapters we use printed off. Some students
seem to have done this, but for others perhaps that is just too much work for
others? I’ve learned I actually miss most students bringing physical copies to
class, since sometimes in lab I’d rather point to a section of the text so
students can answer their own questions and/or have a physical reference point
to refer back to. I didn’t realize how it would be more challenging, awkward,
or time-consuming to help students navigate to needed sections on the variety
of electronic devices they bring to class. Some students also don’t like going
back and forth, using the multiple resources I refer to cover gaps in
information here or there. I’ve tried to keep this to a minimum (since in part
this is a challenge for me too!), but since there are generally fewer OER
resources out there to choose from it seems like you’re less likely to find a
perfect fit for your level and focus for class unless you combine multiple
resources (and that is one of the points of using OERs, the freedom!).
Overall, despite these concerns,
the students and I generally pleased with the OERs. I hope over time the time
burden of using OERs will be reduced (though I think it will be
several runs of this class before I feel my resources are even mostly set!). To put things back in perspective I was thankful that one
of the most common responses on the midterm exam from my students was that
resources don’t matter much in my class, and that it is what we do in class
through lectures and activities that helps them to grasp material. I thank my
students for reminding me to keep this project's focus in check, since comments like these help
me to let go of that urge to find that perfect figure, explanation at the
perfect depth, and animation that matches the vocabulary of every other
resource we use. I realize these tasks may very well take the rest of my life! I'd always intended that my class not be about the textbook, so it I isn't too surprising that it's about the OERs either. Now if only I could gather those OERs a little faster and move on to piloting a few new labs!
