International Journal of Open Educational Resources • Vol . 4 , No . 1 • Spring / Summer 2021
Letter from the Editor
Melissa Layne American Public University System , USA
Dear Readers of IJOER ,
Spring has arrived in many US states as well as in other countries , and what a perfect time to release the IJOER Spring / Summer 2021 issue ! This issue includes some impressive studies that will add to and advance the literature on Open Educational Resources ( OER ) in new and exciting directions . Professor Mpine Makoe of Unisa is featured in our special section , 3 Questions for an OER Leader . Mpine graciously agreed to an interview and shared her most recent open education contributions and initiatives and are centered on social justice , equity , inclusion , accessibility , and participation in order to resolve the injustices that have prevented many people from accessing higher education , especially in South Africa .
Some of the articles in this issue address the ongoing challenges of OER adoption and implementation experienced by universities , faculty , and students and provide innovative approaches to these barriers . Student and faculty perceptions and student achievement also continue to stand at the fore of OER topics . More and more , we are seeing more essential discussions around an understanding that OER and OEP are not mutually-exclusive . A couple of our articles highlight OER course and curricular design . Below , you will find brief descriptions of each article as it is situated under these overarching , key areas in OER .
OER and Student Achievement . Lane Fischer , Yao Xiong , Virginia Clinton-Lisell , John Hilton III , David Wiley and Linda Williams authors of The Interaction of Open Educational Resources ( OER ) Use and Course Difficulty on Student Course Grades in a Community College , point us in a novel research direction by examining the impact of OER on student achievement as a function of course difficulty . Controlling for student gender , previous grade point average , and Pell grant eligibility status , the significant results of this study shed some new light on understanding the effects OER and non-OER use as a function of course difficulty .
Megan Dempsey ’ s article , The Impact of Free and Open Educational Resource Adoption on Community College Student Achievement also reports a significant impact of OER and non-OER use on student performance and persistence by exploring student outcomes for all students in her study , in addition to Pell grant recipients , part-time , first-time and non-white students . Exploring variables linked
1 doi : 10.18278 / ijoer . 4.1.1