MCC Celebrates Open Education Week by Highlighting the Value of OER

Equitable and flexible education – combined with hands-on learning – is what Middlesex Community College is all about. For many classes, Middlesex uses Open Educational Resources (OER) that are in the public domain. Faculty and students can learn, edit and cite the free sources of information to enhance the learning experience.

“OER can make excellent educational resources more accessible to a larger group of students, including those who might not have access to traditional textbooks,” said Siya Bhagat, MCC’s OER Student Ambassador for the 2023-2024 academic year. “It may also present chances for cooperation with institutions and instructors who share similar goals, exchanging resources and best practices.”

OER may include digital textbooks, videos, activities, audios, images and assignments. Often replacing expensive textbooks, they provide a hands-on learning experience for students to gain a deeper understanding of materials, hone research skills, and find the most up-to-date information.

“By recognizing OE Week, we have the opportunity to make students, faculty and the greater MCC community more aware of these flexible and affordable resources,” said Tracy Joyce, MCC’s Coordinator of Library Services. “Throughout the week, we offered online workshops, webinars and resources to share the newest trends and benefits of OE across the globe.”

While at first MCC professor Aisha Arroyo started using OER because they were more affordable for students, she has found OER often provides more resources than a traditional textbook.

“Using a variety of materials can also encourage students to look up other resources to enhance their learning,” Arroyo said. “Start small and choose one course that is frequently taught at most colleges. There's probably a good OER book out there!”

OER addresses MCC’s mission of equity and access, according to Middlesex professor John Femia, who believes OER materials are just as good” as textbooks.

“We should be doing our part to help students pursue other opportunities on campus instead of missing chances because they are working harder to afford expensive textbooks, Femia said. “It is not difficult to do, and the materials are readily available.”

MCC professor Jeanne Cronin remembers how expensive the cost of textbooks were when she was in school, which influenced her choice to include OER in her classes for the past six years.

“Material is always changing so I wanted to find a way to offer all the material free and always up to date,” Cronin said. “It is also the accessibility of the information. All students have the same resources and feel like they are valued and belong.”

For MCC professor Susan Bumbulucz, OER allows her to use learning materials that best fit her students’ needs and her own teaching style.

“OER materials are generally easy to access and use,” Bumbulucz said. “The flexibility that OER gives me allows me to use learning materials that reflect the diversity of the backgrounds my students come from.”

James Grenier is an MCC professor and alum. Students in his classes appreciate the value and reduction of costs that OER brings to their education.

“They have expressed being happy to add to the body of work when we have crowdsourced the creation of new materials, letting them share with others,” Grenier said. “Costs stop being a barrier, I can modify it to meet the needs of the class, and we have built some of these materials as a class – giving the opportunity to think like teachers and editors.”