This post was written by Stephanie Pierce, Head of the University of Arkansas Physics Library, for Open Access Week 2017.

“Open Education encompasses resources, tools and practices that are free of legal, financial and technical barriers and can be fully used, shared and adapted in the digital environment. Open Education maximizes the power of the Internet to make education more affordable, accessible and effective.”SPARC

I recently returned inspired from the 14th Annual Open Education conference in Anaheim, CA where open education advocates, like myself, attended sessions that addressed projects, future goals, advice, and lessons learned, to name a few topics. One topical area that really struck a chord within me was that of equity in open education. Equity in this instance can mean equitable coverage of histories and experiences, equitable access to technology to utilize the open education tools and resources, or, of course, equitable access to higher education.

The open education (OE) movement, for those unaware, is a movement that’s been around for a few years now but has really been gaining steam around the country in recent years. The purpose of such a movement is to provide and create educational resources for low or no-cost. They are often created by instructors to help address affordability issues and/or to fulfill a need when no adequate resource exists for their courses. These materials have more creative common licenses, which work in conjunction with copyright to allow them to be more freely shared, reused, and remixed. This principle is known as the 5 Rs – Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute. However, to think about open educational resources and open education as only a solution to address economic issues on campus and in education as a whole is to ignore the greater power they hold.

The tools and resources created for open education use are called open educational resources (OER), and they can help address the many equitable issues that exist within education (and society as a whole). One way OER can help is by addressing the bias and inequitable coverage that tend to exist within traditional educational materials due to the historically white, heterosexual, and male lens view that they have been written through. Even if this due to implicit biases rather than explicit ones, the result remains the same in that many of our students and their histories/experiences are not represented in the materials they are being taught from. Creators of OER can actively work to help address and rectify these issues by recognizing and removing any implicit bias they may infuse into their resources, but also by enlisting their students to help curate these materials by utilizing their knowledge and experiences to supplement the information creators have and use. OER allows this to be done regularly and quickly due to its dynamic nature compared to the static, heavily edited and curricula influenced traditional textbooks and materials.

This type of active engagement and participation helps give voices to stories that have not been fully represented in the past, and it also lets students be active in teaching and learning. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that accepting student contributions lessens the work you have to do.

I know by now you might be thinking, “Why would I ever switch to using open education materials? Finding them already takes a lot of work, and now I have to think about representation and bias. This is too much.”

I would argue that switching to OER is only marginally more difficult than building a course and selecting traditional materials for your curriculum. As for ensuring inclusive and representative content in your materials? These are issues you should be thinking about and working toward in your classes already. We are not a homogenous society, and having course materials not represent this not only alienates marginalized groups, but also puts those with privilege (i.e., white, male, heterosexual, etc.) at a disadvantage. They are missing out on knowledge that gives them a fuller view of the world and varying viewpoints. And in today’s climate, limiting knowledge compounds the problem of ignorance and silo-ing oneself to only what’s familiar and comfortable.

While equitable coverage is one advantage to open education, the primary driving force behind open education and its movements on college campuses is the economic benefits. College affordability continues to be a growing problem in this country, and many saw OER as one solution to making college more affordable. I mean think about it, no one wants to spend $100, $200, or $300 on a single textbook that they’re only going to use at most for 16 weeks. That’s ridiculous and unsustainable. Tuition costs are already reaching the point that a college education seems financially out of reach for some. There’s no reason that required course materials should compound the problem, which is exactly what is happening. Open textbooks are just one type of OER tool that can be freely downloaded or printed for a low cost, which can help alleviate some of these financial burdens.

Cheaper college costs thus makes higher education more equitable and attainable, right? In theory, yes, but many tend to forget that equitable doesn’t always translate to economic terms. Equitable can also mean equitable access to technology, which is extremely important to remember when considering moving to OER. Not all students have internet access at home. Not all students have a computer at home. Not all students realize libraries are free. This is especially true for our students from lower economic brackets and those that live in rural areas. Yes, the majority of students have smartphones nowadays, but data costs money, and downloading a textbook or other materials for class costs data. So you need to be aware of this and think about potential alternatives for students with these situations. Luckily, many open textbooks have the option to purchase a print copy for a relatively low cost.

To close out this post, I want to say open educational resources are extremely valuable and truly benefit both students and instructors. I strongly believe that they can help transform student learning into a more engaging and participatory experience for all involved. These are materials that can truly be personalized to match your curriculum. They are not perfect, but I’m sure all of us are aware no educational material currently on the market is truly perfect. Open educational resources give us the opportunity to make the entire educational process more equitable and inclusive, but we have to actively work to ensure they are doing so. We can’t just try to recreate materials that already exist and make them available within the open sphere – otherwise we just repeat this same systemic problems of before which emphasize the privileged.

If you are interested to learn more about open educational resources, please visit our OER resource guide. And if you think you might to adopt or create OER for your course, please consider applying for our OER Awards program during the next application cycle.