An Initiative to Develop OER-Based General Education Courses in Higher Education

Shanta Goswami Varma; Xinyue Ren

doi:10.55982/openpraxis.15.2.520

An Initiative to Develop OER-Based General Education Courses in Higher Education

Open Praxis

Volume 15 (2023): Issue 2

By: Shanta Goswami Varma and Xinyue Ren

Open Access

|Jul 2023

Abstract

Following the institution’s strategic goal to make it an affordable campus, institutional administrators advocated using open educational resources (OERs) to reduce the cost of attendance and improve low retention rates in gateway courses. In this project, researchers invited faculty members to systematically design, develop, and deliver three general education (GED) courses with OERs to promote and test innovative pedagogical approaches for student success and retention. The project also aims to enable students to complete and earn their degrees seamlessly and affordably. The purpose of this paper is to describe the initiative, disseminate information to instructors, administrators, and other scholars on the effective practices to integrate OERs into GED courses, and show the effectiveness of OERs in increasing students’ learning experiences, instructors’ teaching experiences, and student retention.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.15.2.520 | Journal eISSN: 2304-070X

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Language: English

Page range: 124 - 133

Submitted on: Sep 7, 2022

Accepted on: Apr 26, 2023

Published on: Jul 20, 2023

Published by: International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

cost effectiveness,

general education courses,

open pedagogy,

open educational resources,

student retention,

student success initiative

© 2023 Shanta Goswami Varma, Xinyue Ren, published by International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 15 (2023): Issue 2