Ep. 41: The Pandemic’s Impact on Open Educational Resources (OER)
This week’s episode of The Key examines the state of open educational resources and other affordable textbook options.
Use of free, openly licensed textbooks and other curricular materials have been on the rise amid growing concerns about college affordability. But uptake stalled last year as professors and students struggled with the transition to digital learning and the tumult of their lives, a new annual report on usage of OER finds.
This week’s episode of The Key examines the state of open educational resources and other affordable textbook options with Jeff Seaman, co-director of Bay View Analytics and the author of the OER report; Robbie Melton, a professor of educational administration at Tennessee State University and an advocate for OER use at historically black colleges; and Jorgo Gushi, a student at Quinsigamond Community College in Massachusetts. A key question: will the widespread shift to virtual learning and continued pressure on colleges to improve affordability and access for underrepresented students create opportunity for OER – or strengthen the hand of low-cost alternatives from publishers?
Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Co-founder and Editor Doug Lederman
Ep. 40: Higher Ed’s New Digital Divide
This week’s episode of The Key delves into topics such as digital inequity, broadband access for online education, and digital literacy.
Inequality in digital access is not a new problem in higher education – but COVID-19 has spotlighted just how much some students struggle to stay connected to their colleges and universities because they lack adequate technology, sufficient internet access or safe, quiet places to study. This week’s guest speakers are Lindsay McKenzie, Inside Higher Ed’s technology reporter and author of our new report, “Bridging the Digital Divide: Lessons from COVID-19;” Lori Williams, president and CEO of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements; and Reggie Smith, III. Plus, we hear from a university student about her experiences staying connected during COVID.
Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Co-founder and Editor Doug Lederman.