Teacher Education Lecturers' Views of Open Educational Resources: A Case of South African Universities
Abstract views: 300
/ 
PDF downloads: 110
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52380/ijcer.2024.11.3.434Keywords:
Open educational resources, Conceptualisation, Lecturers, UniversitiesAbstract
Literature reflects that universities freely share their teaching materials as Open Educational Resources (OER). The major objective of this study was to investigate lecturers at faculties of education views of the usefulness of OER for academic purposes at selected South African universities. This study is grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model, TAM (Davis, 1989); and the Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Use, UTTAU (Bagozzi, 2007) and Theory of Diffusion of Innovations, TDI (Rogers, 2003). These theories justified this investigation explores lecturers at faculties of education views of the usefulness of OER for academic purposes at selected South African universities. The study was informed by the qualitative research approach, which employed semi-structured interviews. Four lecturers were sampled purposively from each university to participate in the study and the data were analysed thematically. The findings of this study are that although the lecturers had an inadequate understanding and knowledge of OER, they were able to display their disposition toward in the usefulness of OER in applying in their pedagogical practices. What is now needed is for South African universities to ensure greater OER awareness and assist lecturers to acquire knowledge of OER so that they can infuse and utilise it effectively in their daily teaching-and-learning environments.
References
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Arinto, P.B., Hodgkinson-Williams, C., & Trotter, H. (2017). OER and OEP in the Global South: Implications and Recommendations for Social Inclusion. In C. Hodgkinson-Williams & P. B. Arinto (Eds.), Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South (pp. 577–592). Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1043829 [Accessed 30 April 2019].
Bagozzi, R.P. (2007). The legacy of the technology acceptance model and a proposal for a paradigm shift. Journal of the association for information systems, 8(4):3. Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol8/iss4/3.
Bello, A., Nsofor, C. C., Falode, O. C., & Adamu, Z. E. (2021). Assessing Determinants of Lecturers’ Utilization and Attitude Towards Open Educational Resources in Universities of North-East, Nigeria. Kashere Journal of Education, 2(2), 277-289.
Binyamin, S.S. (2019). Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Measure the Effects of Usability Attributes and Demographic Characteristics on Student Use of Learning Management Systems in Saudi Higher Education (Doctoral dissertation, Edinburgh Napier University).
Biswas-Diener, R., & Jhangiani, R.S. (2017). Introduction to open. Open: The philosophy and practices that are revolutionizing education and science, pp.3–7. Ubiquity Press.
Bobbitt, L.M., & Dabholkar, P.A. (2001). Integrating attitudinal theories to understand and predict the use of technology‐based self‐service: the internet as an illustration. International Journal of Service Industry management. 12(5), 423–450. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006092.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. Retrieved from: doi: 10.1191/ 1478088706qp063oa [Accessed 02 May 2020].
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic Analysis. In Cooper, H. (Ed.), The Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269930410_Thematic_analysis [Accessed 10 January 2020].
Brown, C. (2012). University students as digital migrants. Language and Literacy, 14(2), 41–61.
Brown, M., Nic Giolla Mhichil, M., Beirne, E., & Costello, E. (eds.). (2020). Proceedings of the 2019 ICDE World Conference on Online Learning, Volume 1, Dublin City University, Dublin. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3804014.
Browne, T., Holding, R., Howell, A., & Rodway-Dyer, S. (2010). The challenges of OER to academic practice. Journal of Interactive Media in Education (Special Issue on Open Educational Resources). Retrieved from http://jime.open.ac.uk/article/2010-3/pdf [Accessed 12 October 2014].
Butcher, N., & Moore, A. (2015). Understanding Open Educational Resources. Kingsway: Commonwealth of Learning. Retrieved from: http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/1013 [Accessed 02 March 2020].
Col, U.N.E.S.C.O., (2011). Guidelines for open educational resources (OER) in higher education. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/publications-and-communication-materials/publications/full-list/guidelines-for-open-educational-resources-oer-in-higher-education/ [Accessed 25 July 2020].
Cox, G., & Trotter, H. (2017). Factors Shaping Lecturers' Adoption of OER at three South African Universities. In C. Hodgkinson-Williams & P. B. Arinto (Eds.), Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South (pp. 287–347). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.601935 [Accessed 17 July 2021].
Creswell, John W., and Cheryl N. Poth. (2018).Qualitative inquiry and research method: Choosing among five approaches." (2007). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc
Davis, F.D. (1985). A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results. Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Davis, F.D., (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS quarterly, pp.319-340. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/249008?casa_token=4DiKDALOrlIAAAAA:UxA1td5STF8uN9I1cdEWZNFMJEqNzCIjq_7h9fRbOjg2ID82mrKMgU2aBtArYMivQ4BH2iHb41c3tv53nDnmA-ma5kP_48HRNdz_gFkfPzwVrUZy_E [Accessed 12 February 2020].
De Hart, K., Chetty, Y., & Archer, E. (2015). Uptake of OER by staff in distance education in South Africa. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(2). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2047 [Accessed 10 February 2020].
Fichman, R.G. (1992). December. Information technology diffusion: A review of empirical research. In ICIS (pp. 195–206). Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download? doi=10.1.1.24.5209&rep=rep1&type=pdf [Accessed 12 May 2015].
Ferrari, L. & Traina, I. (2013). The OERTEST Project: creating political conditions for effective exchange of OER in higher education. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 9(1), pp.23–35.
Goodier, S. (2017). Tracking the money for Open Educational Resources in South African basic education: What we don’t know. The International Review of Research on Open and Distributed Learning, 18(4). Retrieved from: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2990/4195 [Accessed 27 July 2019].
Hodgkinson-Williams, C., Arinto, P.B., Cartmill, T., & King, T. (2017). Factors Influencing Open Educational Practices and OER in the Global South: Meta-synthesis of the ROER4D project. In C.
Hodgkinson-Williams & P. B. Arinto (Eds.), Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South (pp. 27–67). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1037088 [Accessed 19 May 2018].
Jhangiani, R.S. & Biswas-Diener, R.S. (2017). Introduction to open. Open: The philosophy and practices that are revolutionizing education and science, pp. 3–7. Retrieved from: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/31551 [Accessed 08 November 2018].
Johnson, L., Becker, S.A., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2014.) NMC horizon report: 2014 K (pp. 1–52). The New Media Consortium.
Kanwar, A. Balasubramanian, K,. & Umar, A. (2011). Toward Sustainable Open Education Resources: A Perspective from the Global South. American Journal of Distance Education, 24, 65–60.
Kanwar, A., Kodhandaraman, B., & Umar, A., (2010). Towards sustainable open education resources: A perspective from the global south. The American. Journal of Distance Education, 24(2), 65–80.
Kanwar, A., Uvalić-Trumbić, S., & Butcher, N. (2011). A basic guide to open educational resources (OER). Vancouver: Commonwealth of Learning; Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from: http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/36 [Accessed 17 October, 2018].
Kelly, H. (2014). A path analysis of educator perceptions of open educational resources using the technology acceptance model. The international Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning,15(2), 28–36. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1715/2836 [Accessed 10 June 2016].
Kim, B.W., Lee, W.G., Lee, B.R. and Shon, J.G., (2015). Influencing factors in OER usage of adult learners in Korea. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(2), pp.1-17. Retrieved from doi:10.19173/irrodl.v16i2.2051 [Accessed 06 July, 2016]
Lesko, I. (2013). The use and production of OER & OCW in teaching in South African higher education institutions. Open Praxis, 5(2), 103–121. London: Sage Publications. Retrieved from: https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.030469038422888 [Accessed 19 January 2021].
Macintosh, W., McGreal, R., & Taylor, J. (2011). Open Education Resources (OER) for Assessment and Credit for Students Project: Towards a Logic Model and Plan for Action. UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from: http://auspace.athabascau.ca:8080/dspace/handle/2149/3039 [Accessed 23 May 2021].
Madiba, A.M. (2018). Lecturers’ Perceptions and Experiences of Open Educational Resources in Teaching and Learning. MEd Higher Education Studies, University of the Free State. Retrieved from: http://scholar.ufs.ac.za:8080/xmlui/bitstream/han¬dle/11660/9053/MadibaAM.pdf [Accessed 17 January 2020].
Mishra, S. (2017). Open educational resources: removing barriers from within. Distance Education, 38(3), 369–380. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2017.1369350 [Accessed 12 September 2020]
Nowell, Lorelli S., Jill M. Norris, Deborah E. White, and Nancy J. Moules. (2017). "Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria." International journal of qualitative methods 16, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1609406917733847
Olcott, D. (2013). New pathways to learning: Leveraging the use of OERs to support non-formal education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 10(1), 327–344.
Ossiannilsson, E., & Auvinen, A. (2012). Identification of stakeholders for quality assurance of open educational resources. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Piedra, N., Chicaiza, J., López, J., & Tovar, E. (2014). An Architecture based on Linked Data technologies for the Integration and reuse of OER in MOOCs Context. Open Praxis, 6(2), 171–187.
Plotkin, H. (2010). Free to learn: An open educational resources policy development guidebook for community college governance officials. San Francisco: Creative Commons. Retrieved from http://wiki.creativecommons.org/images/6/67/FreetoLearnGuide.pdf [Accessed 10 July 2020]
Rogers, E.M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.
Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations: modifications of a model for telecommunications. In Die diffusion von innovationen in der telekommunikation (pp. 25–38). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.
Seherrie, A.C. (2017). Student achievement Teams to Orientation. Master’s dissertation. University of South Africa: Pretoria
Tuomi, I. (2013). Open educational resources and the transformation of education. European Journal of Education, 48(1), 58–78.
Torres, N.M. (2013). Embracing openness: The challenges of OER in Latin American education. Open Praxis, 5(1), 81–89.
Tosato, P., Arranz, B., & Avi, B. (2014). Sharing Resources in Open Educational Communities. Qualitative Research in Education, 3(1), 206–231. Retrieved from: doi: 10.4771/qre.2014.45 [Accessed 16 August 2015].
UNISA Open Educational Resources (OER) Strategy 2014–016. Retrieved from http://www.unisa.ac.za/contents/Unisaopen/docs/OER%20Strategy%20(final)%20March%202014.pdf [Accessed 24 June 2020].
UNESCO & Commonwealth of Learning (COL). (2011). Guidelines for open educational resources (OER) in higher education. Paris & Vancouver: UNESCO & Commonwealth of Learning.
UNESCO. (2002). Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. Final Report. Paper presented at the Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. UNESCO, Paris, France. 1–3 July 2002.
UNESCO. (2012). 2012 Paris Open Declaration. Paper presented at the World Open Educational Resources (OER) Congress, Paris, France. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/Events/Paris%20 OER%20Declaration_01.pdf.
UNESCO. (2012). World open educational resources congress. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/calendar-of-events/events-websites/world-open-educational-resources-congress/.
Werth, E., & Williams, K. (2021). What motivates students about open pedagogy? Motivational regulation through the lens of Self-Determination theory. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(3), 34–54. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v22i3.5373.
Wiley, D. (2015). Making Teaching and Learning Awesome with" Open". Minnesota Summit on Learning & Technology. Retrieved from: http://opencontent.org/blog/.
Wiley, D., & Hilton III, J.L. (2018). Defining OER-enabled pedagogy. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(4), 133–147. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i4.3601.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 1970 Micheal van Wyk, Justinus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
