Community College Students' Deep Learning Approaches in OER Courses

COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ DEEP LEARNING APPROACHES IN OER COURSES Kim Ellen Grewe Old Dominion University, 2018 Director: Dr. Chris R. Glass Open Educational Resources (OER) have the potential to bridge the gap for community college students not only because they are more affordable or provide access but also because they have the potential to make learning more meaningful for these same students. Although issues related to access and affordability have been extensively researched, less is known about the ways in which OER use may impact community college students’ deep approaches to learning. More qualitative research around OER efficacy from the student perspective is needed. The purpose of this study was to describe the ways students use OER and how students’ OER use may impact their deep approaches to learning. This study employed qualitative research methods, collecting data from focus groups composed of community college students. The major findings indicated that students use OER to relieve some of the financial stress associated with being a community college student. Students often go outside of the class environment to find OER to help them address learning preferences, diagnose and accommodate learning disabilities, remediate weak skills areas, and learn more about topics of interest. These students benefit from and sometimes participate in Open Pedagogical practices and demonstrate deep approaches to learning when they access openly licensed and freely shared OER and use OER to collaborate, peer validate, and publish work outside the class environment. Students also benefit from strong OER design. OER are often well-sequenced, using techniques like scaffolding and chunking to move learners through material at a manageable pace for optimal learning. OER are often interactive and make use of adaptive technologies to personalize instruction and engage learners. Presenting the students’ perspective through qualitative research is a critical component to better understanding the efficacy of OER for student learning in community college. Faculty should continue to explore OER use in their courses and should widen their traditional circles of collaboration to design their courses using OER. Community college administrators should begin to explore OER as part of their strategic plans for decreasing the financial burden of attending college for students and for increasing student learning and success at their colleges. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to all the students who have inspired me over the years. In large part, it is you who have given me the courage and strength to complete what I consider to be a monumental academic task -writing a dissertation. Your courage to learn, grow, and challenge yourselves in the face of many barriers and obstacles over the years has given me the courage to embark on this endeavor. At the scariest, most confusing times, so many of you were there with me encouraging me to keep going. I chose my topic because I am grateful to you, humbled by you, and inspired by you. I also want to thank everyone in my CCL Cohort 12 for their love and support. I could not have made it through this program without you. Some of my best memories are of the times we have spent together on this journey. Finally, thank you to Scott for being my research assistant, sounding board, and biggest cheerleader. You provided sanctuary when I needed it most. I could not have completed the journey in such fine fashion without you.