Open Educational Resources at Grande Prairie Regional College | The Ambassador – News For and By GPRC Students | Canada

"If you’ve noticed your required reading booklist seems to be getting shorter and shorter, you’re not imagining it. Many departments at GPRC are making a push towards a much more accessible, versatile, and inexpensive type of learning material. Open Educational Resources, often abbreviated as OERs, have become increasingly common on post-secondary campuses....

How are OERs used at GPRC? Dr. Daryl White has become the first instructor at GPRC to use OERS in all of his courses. White, who teaches history, said he is constantly adapting his teaching style according to student feedback. His students told him not only were they unhappy about the cost of their textbooks, but most found they didn’t end up using them much anyway. Many of White’s students also reported struggling with a heavy reading load throughout the semester, and White found that providing sources students could absorb visually or audibly helped lighten the load.

Of course, not all students have the same preferences. White said that some of his students miss using textbooks – but that number has been surprisingly low. “I’d say it’s probably one or two a year who still want a textbook,” he said. Overwhelmingly, student responses to the change have been “really positive.”

GPRC Business Instructor Cibylla Rakestraw began using OERs when she noticed students were struggling to afford the textbooks she assigned. She explained many textbooks have hidden extra costs attached to them. “Textbook publishers have been enhancing their materials with a lot of peripheral online exercises and that sort of thing,” she said. “Sometimes, students pay for an access code to the online site up to $150. I just don’t think that’s right.” Instead, Rakestraw does her best to develop her own peripheral educational materials – in other words, she creates her own OERs.

“OERs give me more flexibility,” she said. “They are just as valuable as any other learning materials.”..."