Date of Award

8-1-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

First Advisor

Woei Hung

Abstract

Open educational resources (OER) are digital and non-digital resources for teaching, learning, and research that are available for no cost and licensed with various open licenses, permitting their widespread modification and use. While these resources afford benefits to post-secondary students in terms of reduced cost, ease of access, and potential for customization, faculty members in Ontario, Canada face many barriers to creating these resources for their classes. While many post-secondary institutions have engaged in some form of OER-development initiative, the initiatives are typically not sustainable in the long term. This study explores the model, including the tools, techniques, and workflows, of the OER Lab at Ontario Tech University, a student-run, staff-managed group which provides OER development services for faculty at the university. Through a series of qualitative interviews framed by design-based research, the study characterises the capacity-building techniques of the OER Lab model. The research discusses setting expectations, providing training and experiential learning opportunities, and using existing tools to back the Lab, while engaging critical stakeholders to provide support for the initiative on campus. In addition, the study discusses how imbuing the OER-development work with key values reinforces its alignment with institutional vision, further enhancing sustainability. Through the capacity-building initiative of the OER Lab model, a sustainable approach to OER development can be explored at other campuses in Ontario and beyond.

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