Faculty Perception of Adopting Open Educational Resources in Wyoming Public Higher Education

Textbook costs in United State post-secondary education have dramatically increased since the 1970s. Open educational resources (OER) have been proposed to significantly lower or eliminate textbook costs and provide faculty options in selecting current and individualized course materials. OER adoption by faculty across the United State post-secondary educational system has been uneven and complex. This study sought to understand faculty perceptions of OER adoption within the Wyoming public higher education system. Specifically, this study investigated the current level of adoption, perceived benefits of OER adoption, and perceived barriers of OER adoption.

This study utilized a quantitative survey design which was conducted at six Wyoming higher education institutions in the 2021-2022 academic year. The analysis of the data revealed significant OER awareness by faculty; however, OER use was underutilized. Discoverability and quality of OER were the top four perceived barriers for OER. The top three rated benefits of OER adoption were student-facing: cost, first day access, and the same or better student performance. The highest rated faculty-facing benefit was not having to switch textbook editions on a commercial publisher schedule. Based on the findings, implications for OER adoption by faculty, institutions, and Wyoming public higher are discussed.