The Commodification of Open Educational Resources for Teaching and Learning by Academics in an Open Distance e-Learning Institution

TL;DR

This study explores how academics in an open distance e-learning university perceive and utilize open educational resources, emphasizing the importance of prior knowledge and institutional support for effective adoption.

Contribution

It provides insights into academics' perceptions of OER and proposes a new guideline for fostering positive perceptions through policy support.

Findings

Prior experience with OER enhances usage success.

OER promotes African knowledge and academic visibility.

Effective policies are crucial for OER adoption.

Abstract

The use of open educational resources (OER) is gaining momentum in higher education institutions. This study sought to establish academics' perceptions and knowledge of OER for teaching and learning in an open distance e-learning (ODeL) university. The study also sought to establish how perceptions are formed. The inductive approach followed the lens of commodification to answer the research questions. The commodification phase allowed for a better understanding of the academics' prior knowledge, informers, academics behaviour about OER, and how they perceived OER to be useful for teaching and learning. The study employed a qualitative method, with semi-structured interviews to collect data. The study found that academics with prior experience and knowledge of OER are more successful in the use of these resources for teaching, learning, and research. OER is also perceived as a useful tool to promote African knowledge, showcase the contributions of African academics, improve academic research capabilities, improve student's success rate, particularly for financially vulnerable students. Based on the acquired perceptions, the study able to propose a new guideline to formulate user perceptions. However, this can only be achieved through a solid OER policy with the support of government and tertiary institution top management. The findings may inform higher education institutions when they consider the development of OER strategies and policies, especially in response to the Covid-19 emergency online learning transition.