Open for All: Prioritizing an Equitable Discourse in Open Educational Resources Policy

• In Event: Gaining, Sustaining, and Analyzing Legislative Impact on Postsecondary Education

Abstract

In 2018 Colorado began an initiative to expand open educational resources (OER) throughout the state’s public higher education institutions through a grant-funded program. Since its inception, this initiative has reached all corners of Colorado where significant innovation has occurred regarding offering quality OER to postsecondary students. The current legislation supporting this program expires in 2021, so up-to-date impact measurements and recommendations on how to proceed with OER in higher education is needed. The purpose of this policy analysis is to provide research-based policy recommendations to not only continue Colorado’s legislative support, but to also strengthen the focus on equity in order to ensure the accessibility and affordability of OER is being used to benefit even our most marginalized students.

Author

• Casey McCoy-Simmons, University of Denver