Webinar #5: New research into the lived experience of OER creator-practitioners
This presentation was delivered as an ASCILITE Open Educational Practices special interest group webinar on 18th July 2023.
It outlined new research on the lived experience of creator-practitioners of open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP) in United States (U.S.) higher education institutions. Vygotsky and Bruner’s constructivist theories guide this study as they describe both the cognitive and social aspects of content creation.
Participants in the study included eleven current instructors from colleges and universities across the U.S. who have used and created their own OER, and engaged in OEP in at least one of their courses. Through hermeneutical phenomenological research design, collecting qualitative data through journal entries, artifact analysis, and semi-structured interviews, three themes were revealed. The participants' desire for:
(1) improvement of the student experience
(2) improvement of the creator-practitioner’s craft
(3) community and contributions
Dr Wanstrath discussed the findings of this study, including the alignment and emphasis of the learner-centered approach that creator-practitioners implement, the paradigm shift of power and control pertaining to the roles of instructors and learners, and the importance of cooperation between creator-practitioners and other stakeholders.
You can read Alex's PhD thesis here:
Wanstrath, Alex Henry, "A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Creator-Practitioners of Open Educational Resources and Practices in the United States" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4271. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/do...