Case Study on a Shift to Open Educational Resources in an Academic Department

Open educational resources (OER) have the potential to significantly impact the landscape of higher education. However, many users of OER find it difficult to adopt programmatically due to the barriers of awareness, quality assurance, institutional culture, and sustainability. This case study of the successful adoption of OER in an education department serves as a look into the conditions and practices that allowed for the promotion, continued use, and significant production of open educational resources. Six faculty members in the department were interviewed about their experiences with OER. The results indicate that the climate, technology, and opportunity costs surrounding tenure and promotion were key factors in the faculty’s experience with acting on their inclinations toward openness.