The following blog post responds to Josh Machado’s post regarding Open & Pedagogy and Resources
Hi Josh! I really enjoyed reading your blog post about Open Pedagogy. Josh mentions in his blog post that he has saved hundreds of dollars from textbooks due to professors curating lecture material in way that eliminates the need of requiring a textbook. Evidently, having to buy textbooks for each class on top of tuition can make learning very challenging for students. I believe that when professors use material that is free and easily accessible, it not only reduces financial barriers but also makes students focus more on learning rather than worrying about the cost of required texts.
I like how Josh made it evident that widespread adoption of OER will require more investment in technology and digital literacy. It is clear that one of the main goals of OER is to reduce the amount of costs for education. However, it is important to note that adopting these OER’s will require a shift is both infrastructure and mindset. Institutions will need to spend extra money on building digital platforms, establishing reliable internet access, and creating training for educators and students so that they can be able to use/navigate these new resources effectively.
All the best,
Sai