Bay College chosen for study of open educational resources
Educational nonprofit Achieving the Dream selected Bay College as one of eight schools for a study on the use of open educational resources for degree-seeking students.
A new study being organized by Achieving the Dream (ATD) will include Bay College along with seven other two-year colleges in the US and will analyze data about the use of open educational resources (OER) as an alternative to textbooks. One goal is to reduce costs for students, which researchers say can present a significant barrier to degree completion. The initiative, Teaching and Learning with OER, will also analyze the effects of using OER on teaching strategies in the classroom.
According to a news release from Bay College, researchers conducting the study will be searching for evidence that the use of OER is correlated with innovative teaching practices. Bay College, as part of the ATD network, has already been working with faculty on including OER in curriculum. President of Bay College Dr. Laura Coleman explained, "Bay College is very proud of the work faculty and our online department personnel have accomplished creating a significant number of OER books which have reduced cost of attending college $1,457,000 in textbook costs over the last five years for Bay College students. We look forward to expanding our efforts."
The Teaching and Learning with OER website provides more details about the structure and purpose of the study. Participating colleges will receive support for administrators and faculty who utilize OER to redesign classroom activities and teaching models, also referred to as pedagogical strategies. Goals include improving culturally responsive teaching practices and understanding how institutional policies affect the outcomes of using OER.
Funding for the initiative comes in part from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a non-partisan philanthropic organization involved in education, environment, arts, and social equity projects. Participating colleges will provide data to researchers and host campus visits. They will also receive support to send staff members to the 2022 ATD conference. ATD is scheduled to release a full report on the study early in 2022.