Acceptance and Barriers of Open Educational Resources in the Context to Indian Higher Education

Gopal Datt; Gagan Singh

doi:10.21432/cjlt28028

Authors

Gopal Datt Uttarakhand Open University
Gagan Singh Uttarakhand Open University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28028

Keywords:

Open Educational Resources, Barriers of OER, Higher Education, Technology Enabled Education, OER

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to highlight the role and awareness of and barriers to Open Educational Resources (OERs) in Indian higher education, specifically in the State of Uttarakhand. This study further investigates the factors that hinder the progress of OER acceptance in the teaching and learning process of higher education and suggests ways to overcome these barriers. Acceptance and barriers of OERs in Indian higher education have been analyzed with the help of responses received from 204 participants (students) through questionnaire, who are either enrolled in ODL or the conventional system of education in the state of Uttarakhand (India). This study found that post-graduate programme learners are more aware of access to OERs and the majority of learners reported that training/workshops based on OERs are beneficial for them. Findings from this study will be helpful in understanding the obstacles and hindrances faced by the learners and respective institutions in the process of offering OERs. This study was conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Author Biographies

Gopal Datt, Uttarakhand Open University

Gopal Datt is working as Assistant Professor in School of Vocational Studies, Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani, India. He has credited several research papers published in reputed journals. Dr Datt has designed and developed Self Instructional Learning Material (SILM) for various skill development programs offered by the university. His research area of interest is cyber education, ICT in teaching-learning, software engineering, and programming concepts.

Gagan Singh, Uttarakhand Open University

Gagan Singh is working as Associate Professor in the School of Management Studies & Commerce, Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani, India. He has published 45+ research papers in reputed international and national journals/ Magazine/ Edited Books. His area of specialization is accounting and finance, public sector enterprises, and open and distance learning.

References

Bansal, T., Chabra, S., & Joshi, D. (2013). Current initiatives and challenges to OERs in Indian higher education. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 11(1), 4-18. http://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/205/189

Chakraborty, S., & Ghosh, S. B. (2011). Open resources for higher education: The Indian scenario. Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences. Purdue e-Pubs. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iatul/2011/papers/32

Commonwealth of Learning. (2015). Understanding open educational resources. http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/1013

Commonwealth of Learning. (2020). Keeping the doors of learning open COVID-19. http://hdl.handle.net/11599/3518

Dutta, I. (2016). Open educational resources (OER): Opportunities and challenges for Indian higher education. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE, 17, (2). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1097245

Henderson, S., & Ostashewski, N. (2018). Barriers, incentives, and benefits of the open educational resources (OER) movement: An exploration into instructor perspectives. First Monday, 23(12). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v23i12.9172

Jeelani, S., Murthy, M. V., Ramana, & Sbeih, M. A. (2015). The open educational resources (OERs): Challenges and opportunities in higher education”, International Journal of Science, Technology and Management, VIII(Jun), 10-16. https://www.academia.edu/37651176/The_Open_Educational_Resources_OERs_Challenges_and_opportunities_in_Higher_education

Kurelovic, E. K. (2016). Advantages and limitations of usage of open educational resources in small countries. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2(1), 136-142. https://www.ijres.net/index.php/ijres/article/view/94

Luo, T., Hostetler, K., Freeman, C., & Stefaniak, J. (2020). The power of open: Benefits, barriers, and strategies for integration of open educational resources. Open Learning, 35(2), 140-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2019.1677222

Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2019). All India survey on higher education 2018-19. Department of Higher Education, New Delhi. https://aishe.gov.in/aishe/gotoAisheReports;jsessionid=9A91DB14177F00363C8850905F413927

Mtebe, J. S., & Raisamo, R. (2014). Investigating perceived barriers to the use of open educational resources in higher education in Tanzania. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15(2), 43-66. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1803

Padhi, N. (2018). Acceptance and Usability of OER in Indian Higher Education: An Investigation Using UTAUT Model. Open Praxis. Vol. 10 (1), pp. 55-65. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1171142.pdf

Singh, J., & Panigrahi, P. K. (2018). Acceptance of Open Learning Resources: Perspectives of Higher Education Students in India. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation. Vol. 21(2), pp. 80-93, ISSN 1566-6379. http://www.ejise.com/volume21/issue2

Thakran, A., & Sharma, R. C. (2016). Meeting the challenges of higher education in India through open educational resources: Policies, practices, and implications. Education Policy Analysis Archives. Vol. 24(37). http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/ epaa.24.1816. This article is part of EPAA/AAPE’s Special Issue on Models of Open Education in Higher Education Guest Co-Edited by Dr. Lisa Petrides and Dr. Cynthia Jimes.

Tolia, R. S. (n.d.). Random Thoughts: 7, What ails Uttarakhand's Economic Development? http://uic.gov.in/WithoutfearorFavor/What/ailsUttarakhand'sEconomy.pdf

Tur, G., Urbina, S., & Moreno, J. (2016). From OER to Open Education: Perceptions of Student Teachers after Creating Digital Stories with Creative Common Resources. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience (BRAIN). Vol. 7(2), pp. 34-40. ISSN 2067-3957 (online), ISSN 2068 - 0473 (print). https://www.oerknowledgecloud.org/record1675