Table 1
Types of OER used in the 13 PhD programs that use OER and courses in which they are used in a sample (N = 30) of top-ranked U.S. Social Work PhD programs.
| VARIABLE | n | % |
|---|---|---|
| Textbooks | 10 | 76.9 |
| Courses using OER Textbooks (more than one could apply) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | 3 | 30.0 |
| Quantitative Research Methods | 5 | 50.0 |
| Statistics | 1 | 10.0 |
| Policy | 1 | 10.0 |
| Theory | 5 | 50.0 |
| Pedagogy/Teaching in Higher Education | 2 | 20.0 |
| Other | 3 | 30.0 |
| PowerPoints or Slides | 7 | 53.8 |
| Courses using OER PowerPoints (more than one could apply) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | 3 | 42.9 |
| Quantitative Research Methods | 6 | 85.7 |
| Statistics | 4 | 57.1 |
| Policy | 1 | 14.3 |
| Theory | 3 | 42.9 |
| Pedagogy/Teaching in Higher Education | 1 | 14.3 |
| Audio/Video/Infographic/Other | 11 | 84.6 |
| Courses using audio/video/etc. OER (more than one could apply) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | 5 | 45.5 |
| Quantitative Research Methods | 5 | 45.5 |
| Statistics | 1 | 9.1 |
| Policy | 3 | 27.3 |
| Theory | 10 | 90.9 |
| Pedagogy/Teaching in Higher Education | 4 | 36.4 |
| Other | 1 | 9.1 |
| Syllabus | 5 | 38.5 |
| Courses using the OER syllabus (more than one could apply) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | 2 | 40.0 |
| Quantitative Research Methods | 3 | 60.0 |
| Statistics | 3 | 60.0 |
| Policy | 1 | 20.0 |
| Theory | 3 | 60.0 |
| Pedagogy/Teaching in Higher Education | 2 | 40.0 |
| Other | 1 | 20.0 |
| Elements (Lesson plans, modules, units, tutorials) | 6 | 46.2 |
| Courses using OER elements (Lesson plans, modules, units, tutorials) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | 2 | 33.3 |
| Quantitative Research Methods | 5 | 83.3 |
| Statistics | 3 | 50.0 |
| Policy | 1 | 16.7 |
| Theory | 4 | 66.7 |
| Pedagogy/Teaching in Higher Education | 3 | 50.0 |
| Other | 0 | 0.0 |
[i] Note: This table presents data from the 13 respondents who indicated using OER in their PhD programs. It does not include data from the 4 respondents who indicated their programs did not use OER or the 13 respondents who did not answer the items related to these variables on the questionnaire. One respondent indicated using OER test question banks or quizzes and one indicated “Other” OER were used.
Table 2
Perceptions of Open Educational Resources (OER) among 29 PhD program directors or informants from PhD programs in the top 100 ranked social work schools in the United States.
| ITEM (EACH BEGINS WITH “USING OR CREATING OER CONTENT IN THE CLASSROOM…) | M | SD | STRONGLY AGREE | AGREE | NEUTRAL | DISAGREE | STRONGLY DISAGREE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | |||
| increases students’ interest in the subject | 3.1 | 0.8 | 1 | 3.4 | 5 | 17.2 | 20 | 69.0 | 1 | 3.4 | 2 | 6.9 |
| increases students’ satisfaction with the learning experience | 3.2 | 0.7 | 1 | 3.4 | 8 | 27.6 | 18 | 62.1 | 1 | 3.4 | 1 | 3.4 |
| leads to improved student grades | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 6.9 | 19 | 65.5 | 7 | 24.1 | 1 | 3.4 |
| allows us to better accommodate diverse students’ needs | 3.5 | 0.9 | 4 | 13.8 | 8 | 27.6 | 16 | 55.2 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3.4 |
| increases students’ engagement with lesson content | 3.2 | 1.0 | 2 | 6.9 | 9 | 31.0 | 14 | 48.3 | 2 | 6.9 | 2 | 6.9 |
| increases collaboration and/or peer support among students | 3.1 | 0.8 | 1 | 3.4 | 7 | 24.1 | 16 | 55.2 | 4 | 13.8 | 1 | 3.4 |
| increases the likelihood that students will complete the PhD program | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 10.3 | 19 | 65.5 | 3 | 10.3 | 4 | 13.8 |