Open Educational Resources: Threat, Opportunity, or Both?

Open educational resources (OERs) have now been available for use by teachers and students for almost 10 years. While they are not yet used to the same extent as traditionally created content, issues such as the perceived high price of higher education textbooks, budget pressures in the K-12 space, and the desire on the part of educators to customize content resources for their students have given a further fillip to OERs, pushing the movement even more firmly into the spotlight. This report:
- Examines the rise of the OER movement in the higher education and K-12 markets;
- Looks at the drivers behind the take-up of OERs among students, educators, librarians, and administrators;
- Considers the impact that the OER movement could have on traditional educational publishers operating in this marketplace;
- Puts forward recommended actions for educational publishers and information providers considering their strategic response to the burgeoning OER phenomenon.