Student Perceptions of Open Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study

With the increasing development and adoption of Open Educational Resources, many researchers and practitioners are interested in more carefully examining pedagogies connected with their use. This study describes the perceptions of 173 students of implementations of various approaches to open pedagogy by nineteen instructors in post-secondary institutions in New Hampshire. Students were asked about their perceptions of several aspects of open pedagogy, including its influence on the mastery of core academic content, skills in collaborative learning, critical thinking and problem solving, effective communication, and learning how to learn. Students found value in open pedagogy and believed that open pedagogy had greater overall educational value than traditional educational activities. When students were asked if they would prefer to take a course with open pedagogy or traditional pedagogy, a majority preferred open pedagogy. Further research is necessary to determine the efficacy of open pedagogy beyond student perceptions, and also to determine which types of open pedagogy are most efficacious.