I mentioned previously that David Wiley and I had an article published last month. A version of this article is now available through BYU’s Repository.

It’s available here.

Citation for article:

Hilton, J. Wiley, D. (2010). “The creation and use of Open Educational Resources in Christian higher education.” Christian Higher Education, Volume 9: No. 1: pp. 49-59. The official published version is available here.

Abstract:

A significant movement in education concerns the use of open educational resources (OER). By “open” it is generally meant that the resources are freely available to others to reuse in different contexts. These resources could include books, lesson plans, syllabi, slide shows, etc. There are several examples of individuals and institutions providing open educational resources; this openness is also specifically manifest in the field of Christian higher education. Different levels are discussed in which OER can be “open” and the implications of these levels when creating OER. Common motivations and obstacles to creating OER are also discussed. A particularly significant issue regarding openness concerns copyright issues. Finally, discussed are copyright implications both in terms of reusing resources others have made (resources that may or may not be copyrighted), and using Creative Commons licenses to license OER so as to give the desired level of copyright protection. Although OER are not appropriate in all situations, they can be an important part of improving pedagogy and increasing access to education.