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The undefined figure: Instructional designers in the open educational resource (OER) movement in higher education

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Abstract

The paper aims to discuss the role of instructional designers (IDs) in supporting the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement in higher education. Due to the increasing cost of higher education, previous studies indicated the feasibility of adopting OER to lower students’ educational expenses and to equalize their learning opportunities (Murphy in Distance Education, 34(2), 201–217, 2013; Okamoto in Public Services Quarterly, 9(4), 267–283, 2013). However, many instructors and staff are facing various barriers to adopting OER, such as the lack of time, motivation, and knowledge of quality evaluation (Taylor and Taylor in Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 21(2), 1–8, 2018). IDs often serve as learner analysts, instructional innovators, and leaders in educational technology to assist instructors in developing teaching materials. However, limited research studied their partnerships to overcome the barriers of creating and adopting OERs in universities and colleges. Hence, the paper will propose a viable solution to include IDs in overcoming OER adoption barriers and promoting the OER movement in higher education. The findings may contribute to the field of OER movement and pave the way for future research.

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  1. Ohio University, McCracken Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Xinyue Ren

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Correspondence to Xinyue Ren.

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Ren, X. The undefined figure: Instructional designers in the open educational resource (OER) movement in higher education. Educ Inf Technol 24, 3483–3500 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09940-0

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