Impacts of an Open Education Resource Degree Initiative on College Student Outcomes

• In Event: Addressing Essential Needs of College Students

Abstract

The research and evaluation of ATD’s Open Education Research Degree Initiative provided encouraging evidence regarding the academic outcomes of students who enrolled in multiple OER courses. Students benefited from unrestricted access to course content and improved course experiences, in addition to saving money that could be used towards other educational or personal expenses. Evidence from 11 “research partner” colleges suggests that students who took multiple OER courses on average earned more college credits over time than otherwise similar students who took no OER courses. Overall, this benefit did not vary significantly for under-served students versus other students.

Authors

• Rebecca Griffiths, SRI International

• Jessica L. Mislevy, SRI International

• Shuai Wang, SRI International