Improving Access, Affordability, and Achievement with OER in Maryland

Open educational resources (OER) are openly licensed instructional materials that are also typically available at little or no cost. While university administrators and state legislators are quick to hone in on potential cost savings for students, studies suggest OER also show promise to enhance learning. This session will discuss how a statewide initiative in Maryland is exploring the promise of OERs to reduce students' cost of attendance as well as maintain, and perhaps improve, learning outcomes. Besides replacing pricey textbooks with OER, some faculty are also using technology-enhanced OER to implement personalized learning strategies aimed at strengthening success.

Outcomes: Learn about research-supported benefits of OER for improving access, affordability, and other student outcomes * Explore a statewide model for providing incentives and support for faculty who choose to adopt OER and approaches to evaluate program effectiveness * Articulate how the use of personalized learning tools with OER impacts students, instructors, and learning outcomes