Reflections and Implications for Future Research

I'm a cis, white woman, and English is my first language. I've been lucky to have many privileges as both a university student and staff member. Unlike many students at Ontario Tech and in the OER Lab, I haven't experienced financial difficulties, cultural adjustments, or long commutes during my studies. Thanks to these advantages, getting used to work conventions and gaining expertise in my field hasn't been too challenging for me. It wasn't until I was asked to work with OER on behalf of the university's Teaching and Learning Centre that I became aware of the need for OER and their benefits in higher education.

Understanding how the OER Lab and its outputs benefit students, both in the Lab and across the university, is something I'm working on grasping fully. Despite interviewing and interacting with Lab staff, I may never fully understand it due to my own background and experiences.

I also want to acknowledge that my career started at a "traditional" publisher, where I worked for many years. Many of my close friends and colleagues still work in that industry, and sometimes it's tough to support the OER system, which seems to go against traditional publishing. While I believe that OER offer unique solutions to barriers in higher education and that the OER Lab provides valuable work opportunities for Ontario Tech students, I also recognize that traditional publishers aren't inherently dishonest They continue to support many sectors and niche educational disciplines.

As a result of this study and its evaluation, the OER Lab model, along with recommendations and examples, could be adopted by other post-secondary institutions. Many Canadian institutions are still in the early stages of implementing OER initiatives, and the OER Lab model offers a cost-effective alternative to limited-term or grant-based funding models while providing valuable job placements for students. By functioning as an ongoing OER development initiative, either independently or alongside other OER programs at institutional or government levels, universities and colleges can demonstrate their commitment to providing affordable, high-quality resources for students. Demonstrating tangible outcomes through OER development and job placements is crucial for reducing barriers faced by students from diverse backgrounds when entering post-secondary education. While the barriers to accessing higher education vary in their impact, taking small steps to support student success can help institutions retain students amidst declining enrollments and rising costs.

The findings of this evaluation can inform the operations of institutions like Ontario Tech University or smaller units such as individual academic faculties or departments. Individual faculties may choose to focus their efforts on developing OER for specific courses within their discipline, such as those with high enrollments or higher failure rates. An OER Lab model would be particularly beneficial for these units, as they could tap into a large pool of students with a strong understanding of the discipline, the challenges in the courses, and the technology tools used.

During this study, I took on a new role at Ontario Tech as the manager of the Student Learning Centre, which provides academic support and tutoring services to students. One identified need in this department is additional support for students in developing digital literacy skills and working with technology tools. To quickly address this need in a cost-effective way, I plan to establish a branch of the OER Lab within the Student Learning Centre to support the creation of technology training resources for students. This branch will hire students from the peer tutoring program in the Student Learning Centre and collaborate with existing OER Lab students to leverage their expertise and provide mentorship. By following the OER Lab model, I aim for this branch of operations to meet the needs of students while offering a meaningful employment experience for those involved.

The interviews of OER Lab student employees took place at Ontario Tech University, which is unique in many ways to neighbouring universities in the major metropolitan area. While Ontario Tech, with a current student population of about 10,000, was established in 2002, other universities within a 50-km radius are much older and much larger; University of Toronto (population of 61,690; 197 years old), Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University – population of 48,000; 76 years old), and York University (population of 55,700; 61 years old). The OER Lab model was proposed by the research as a novel way to support faculty in developing OER and integrating them into their courses. The flexibility of a smaller, younger institution allowed for rapid implementation and continuous improvement of the OER Lab program – something that may not be possible in larger, established institutions and was not considered as part of this study. As such, additional research should be conducted to see if the affordances of the OER Lab model, in terms of value and sustainability, can be achieved at universities with different profiles.

Similarly, the operations of Ontario publicly-funded universities and colleges are quite different. There are significant levels of freedom of programming and instruction between universities, while most colleges adhere to a similar structure and follow similar curriculum. The operations of the OER Lab suggested in this study may not be feasible within the structures of an Ontario college and thus, further research could yield additional insight into the potential of the OER Lab model to promote sustainable OER development in a college setting. 

This research outlines the sustainable features of the OER Lab, it does not account for major shifts in priorities of post-secondary institutions, in terms of funding, experiential learning, and student success. While these priorities will likely always feature strongly in the operational plans of Ontario Tech and similar institutions for the foreseeable future, governmental and institutional pressures may impact the extend to which staffing allocations for positions like the OER Lab Coordinator, University Works position allotments, or even space or guidance from departments such as the Teaching and Learning Centre. While the flexibility of the OER Lab model is one of its key characteristics, internal and external pressures could limit the Lab’s reach, efficacy, or success.

The original intent of this research was to interview both student employees and faculty clients working in the OER Lab. However, the researcher was not able to secure interviews with any faculty members during the time of the study. This limitation to this study opens up additional opportunities for future research investigating faculty opinions on the OER Lab model. Additional research could contribute to interesting operational adjustments to the OER Lab model, developing additional efficiencies to overcoming barriers to OER.

Finally, the researcher hopes that in institutions where the OER Lab model is implemented, they realize an increase in student satisfaction and success through not only the development of custom OER, but also by forging strong connections with the institution through employment. Further research into how student co-creation of resources contributes to high-quality resources and high-quality learning will give the educational community at large a deepened understanding and appreciation for both OER and the model described in this study.