Synthesized studies of OER in college courses found academic outcomes comparable to traditional textbooks and positive perceptions among students and instructors¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · checked against its sources 2026-10-28 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across 16 studies synthesized by Hilton (2016), academic outcomes with OER were comparable to using traditional textbooks, and perceptions of college students and instructors were positive. → Lee 2021

Evidence¶

Lee 2021¶

Lee, D., Lee, E. (2021). International perspectives on using OER for online learning. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09871-5

q2 · i? · review · r?

A commentary's account of Hilton's (2016) narrative review of 16 studies on OER efficacy and perceptions in college courses. The review reports that "The academic outcomes were comparable to using traditional textbooks, and perceptions were positive."

"Hilton (Educ Technol Res Dev 64: 573–590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9 , 2016) synthesized findings of 16 studies that investigated the academic outcomes of open educational resources (OER) and perceptions of college students and instructors. The academic outcomes were comparable to using traditional textbooks, and perceptions were positive."

Lee 2021 (2)¶

Lee, D., Lee, E. (2021). International perspectives on using OER for online learning. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09871-5

q2 · i? · review · r?

The commentary characterizes Hilton's review as "collective evidence to support the adoption of OER" and notes it indicates what future work is needed internationally. No effect sizes are printed.

"Hilton's findings (Educ Technol Res Dev 64: 573–590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9 , 2016) provide collective evidence to support the adoption of OER and shed light on how it can be used and what future work is needed internationally."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• OER effectiveness in online courses is attributed to their technological affordances — related
• Open textbooks appear to offer financial benefits to students without decreasing learning outcomes in higher education — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Students achieve the same or better learning outcomes when using OER compared to commercial textbooks, while saving significant amounts of money. — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• In direct comparisons of OER and commercial textbooks, a strong majority of participants report OER are as good or better. — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• In studies comparing ratings from separate groups of OER users and CT users, results were mixed: two studies favored CT, two favored OER, and one showed similar ratings. — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The majority of faculty and students who have used OER had a positive experience and would do so again. — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The number of published OER efficacy and perceptions studies rose rapidly between 2015 and 2018, with more studies published in those 3 years than in the previous 15. — related
• Across 2002-2018, OER efficacy research consistently shows that OER does not harm student learning, with a small positive impact. — related
• OER efficacy studies are frequently confounded by simultaneous changes in pedagogy or delivery method. — related
• Substituting OER for traditional textbooks does not appear to decrease student learning outcomes in higher education. — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Students using OER save significant amounts of money compared to purchasing commercial textbooks. — related
• Students and faculty are generally positive regarding OER across a variety of settings. — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• OER adoption is expected to save students money and close the achievement gap in the short term, but this benefit will likely disappear over the longer term — related
• OER outcome studies that lack a hypothesized explanatory mechanism are license comparison studies prone to finding no significant differences — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Most U.S. higher education faculty believe OER are a good idea but few actually use them — related
• Hilton's reviews find OER equally efficacious to and less expensive than commercial textbooks — a broader claim this one bears on
• Relative advantage of OER alone will not lead to rapid adoption, especially if framed as cost savings — related