AN OVERLOOKED BENEFIT OF OER: SHOWING STUDENTS WE CARE

Dawn Levy & Dorina Tila

ABSTRACT

Advances in technology and cultural shifts towards a more open sharing of information afford college instructors additional methods to establish a powerful teacher-student connection. By creating and curating Open Educational Resources (OER) for students, instructors customize the learning experience for their students and show them that they care about student success. Human connection is a critical part of the learning process and students are more likely to be engaged, participate, and perform better in a course when they feel that their instructor cares about them. Sharing and explaining to students the time, care, and effort that are spent by instructors curating OER material might have a tremendous impact on students’ attitude and engagement with the subject.

Keywords: Open Educational Resources, OER, instructor caring, faculty concern, teacher-student relationship

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