International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 171

What Does Free Mean? Orienting an OER Program Toward Sustainability
depart in Spring 2017), both with other
full-time roles. Therefore, while the
need for review was recognized, it had
not taken place.
Data review
After the departure of the Emerging
Tech Librarian, the Electronic Resources
& Copyright Librarian, acting as the
OER Librarian, began a deep dive into
the gathered qualitative and quantitative
data of the program. Going over
the student reporting survey data, two
main themes emerged. First, students
were reporting satisfaction with using
OER in class primarily because of the
ease of use and cost savings. Second,
in some of the course transformations,
there was some frustration with the integration
of the resources into course
delivery (ISU, n.d.- a). Because any issue
with integration of OER materials
potentially impacts the success of the
OER course transformation overall,
the Electronic Resources & Copyright
Librarian viewed it as an issue of concern.
Additionally the librarian went
over the data-tracking cost savings of
the program. Of particular interest was
the number of courses that had been
converted and then reverted back to
paid course resources. These courses
were identified by picking a representative
sample in the tracked conversions,
then searching textbook holdings via
the campus bookstore site. A standard
letter was then written and sent out to
faculty with paid resources asking if
they would be willing to briefly provide
feedback on why their courses reverted
back to using traditional paid texts.
Some indicated that there were department-wide
mandated changes to all
sections of the course requiring a single
unified text. Others, however, stated
a desire to continue with OER, but
as the course continued, the materials’
perceived quality lead them to make
changes. Frustration was expressed at
the resources’ aging interface or the
speed with which the resources were
updated. To the Electronic Resources
& Copyright Librarian, these issues
needed to be addressed in the program
going forward.
Revising the OER Program
Through the process of reviewing
the program, it became clear that
course design and the education
of the copyright and licensing of OERs
needed to be revisited and addressed.
Additionally the exit interviews with
the Emerging Tech Librarian identified
a lack of time and support as a
barrier to meeting the demands of the
program. To strengthen delivery and
sustainability of the program, the Electronic
Resources & Copyright Librarian
recognized that a team approach would
be needed if the OER initiative was to
continue to be successful at ISU. In order
to provide much needed support
and sustainability for the program, the
Electronic Resources & Copyright Librarian
met with the ISU Instructional
Design Group in Fall 2017 to build
trust and re-engage the group with the
goal of creating a new OER team. The
inclusion of instructional design is recognized
throughout the OER community
as a valuable strategy to successful
163