Many in higher education are beginning to realize the potential when Open Educational Resources (OER) are adopted. There are gains for students in terms of cost reduction and progress towards graduation. There are gains for faculty and instructors in offering textbook cost zero classes, in taking advantage of the open licenses to localize course resources, and in exploring OER-enabled pedagogy (OP), which can be afforded by open resources. However, the full potential of OER is yet to be realized. It is possible that additional in-depth research into the areas of OER and OP might promote more extensive adoption and development and in turn provide further gains for students and faculty. The three studies that comprise this dissertation provided an overview on various aspects of OER use and development as well as on the impact they have on the student experience. The first study used an interpretive qualitative approach to provide a narrative of the experiences of university professionals developing and working with OER and OP as well as examining this process through the lens of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) theory. The second study used anexplanatory sequential mixed methods approach as it applied and extended the COUP framework to focus on cost, outcomes, use, perceptions, and engagement related to students when OER and OP were utilized. The third study also used a mixed methods approach and the UTAUT theory to explore factors that have influenced faculty who are using OER and OP in their teaching. Findings that linked the three studies reflected on the importance of sharing these resources with others, on the advantages of having control over resources for purposes of localization, and on how beneficial they can be in providing equity and access to support student progress through higher education. These findings may be used by institutions, faculty, instructors, librarians and instructional designers as they consider the adoption, creation, and application of OER.

Keywords

open educational resources · open practice · faculty experience · UTAUT · COUP · adoption of OER