Usage of Open Educational Resources (OER) by Students of Environmental Disciplines in the Czech Republic
Main Article Content
Abstract
Open educational resources are important innovations in educational technologies. Their appropriate use can have a number of benefits for both higher education and environmental disciplines. Conversely, poor work when using these resources can have a negative impact on students' knowledge. It is currently unclear which OER students refer to, how often and for what purposes they use them, and whether they are able to determine any criteria of quality. On the basis of previous findings, we developed a method and conducted research in the form of a questionnaire-based survey. We investigated a) the frequency of use b) the purposes of use c) subjective quality assessment. Questionnaires were distributed among students of environmental courses at five universities in the Czech Republic; 233 questionnaires were evaluated. The results showed that most students use OER frequently, especially Wikipedia, both its Czech and English versions, although many of the students also have some experience with the storage of illegal materials. Resources are used in particular as a supplementary and secondary resource, as a signpost to other resources, to prepare for a test, or when writing attestation work. As a quality resource, students value Wikipedia in particular. Most students were also able to identify at least some criteria to which they refer when assessing the quality of a resource.
Metrics
Article Details
References
Bawden, D., & Robinson, L. (2009). The dark side of information: overload, anxiety and other paradoxes and pathologies. Journal of information science, 35(2), 180-191. Retrieved from http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/3109/1/dark%20side%20of%20information.pdf
Biddix, J. P., Chung, C. J., & Park, H. W. (2011). Convenience or credibility? A study of college student online research behaviors. The Internet and Higher Education,14(3), 175-182. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Han_Park/publication/222036119_Convenience_or_credibility_A_study_of_college_student_online_research_behaviors/links/00463536b910ab0212000000.pdf
Burton, V. T., & Chadwick, S. A. (2000). Investigating the practices of student researchers: Patterns of use and criteria for use of Internet and library sources.Computers and Composition, 17(3), 309-328. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S8755461500000372
Dlouhá, J., Petiška, E., Dlouhý, J., & Kapitulčinová, D. (2015). Opportunities and Risks of the Use of Open Education Resources in Environmental Disciplines at University Level in the Czech Republic: A Criteria for Assessing Quality. Envigogika, 10(4). Retrieved from https://www.envigogika.cuni.cz/index.php/Envigogika/article/view/503
Giles, J. (2005). Internet encyclopaedias go head to head.
Hewlett Foundation (2015). Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/programs/education/open-educational-resources
Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1-18. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9
Hu, E., Li, Y., Li, J., & Huang, W. H. (2015). Open educational resources (OER) usage and barriers: a study from Zhejiang University, China. Educational Technology Research and Development, 63(6), 957-974. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-015-9398-1/fulltext.html
Kandari, J. S., Jones, E. C., Nah, F. F., & Bishu, R. R. (2011). Information quality on the world wide web: A framework to measure and its validation. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Information Systems Analysis and Synthesis. Retrieved from http://www.iiis.org/CDs2011/CD2011IMC/ISAS_2011/PapersPdf/UA623FD.pdf
Kapitulčinová, D., Spustová, K., Nemcová, M., Petiška, E., Dlouhá, J. (2015). Analýza využívání termínu Open Educational Resources na českých vysokých školách v mezinárodním kontextu. AULA 23 (2), 29-48. Retrieved from http://www.csvs.cz/aula/201502.php
Klein, B. D. (2002). Internet data quality: Perceptions of graduate and undergraduate business students. Journal of Business and Management, 8(4), 425. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211510185?pq-origsite=gscholar
Pow, J., & Li, S. C. (2015). The effect of students’ perceptions of Internet information quality on their use of Internet information in inquiry-based learning. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 31(4), 439-457. Retrieved from https://ajet.org.au/index.php/AJET/article/view/1936/1296
Roeder, I., Severengiz, M., Stark, R., & Seliger, G. (2017). Open educational resources as a driver for manufacturing-related education for learning of sustainable development. Procedia Manufacturing, 8, 81-88. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978917300148
TES Global. (2016). "Three in Four U.S. Teachers Say Open Educational Resources Are Used More Often Than Textbooks." Retrieved from https://www.tesglobal.com/teachertech2
Tjoa, A. M., & Tjoa, S. (2016). The Role of ICT to Achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In IFIP World Information Technology Forum (pp. 3-13). Springer International Publishing. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-44447-5_1
Warwick, C., Rimmer, J., Blandford, A., Gow, J., & Buchanan, G. (2009). Cognitive economy and satisficing in information seeking: A longitudinal study of undergraduate information behavior. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60(12), 2402-2415. Retrieved from http://dro.dur.ac.uk/13497/1/13497.pdf
Wei, L., & Zhang, M. (2008). The impacts of Internet knowledge on college students' intention to continue to use the Internet. Information Research, 13(3), 2. Retrieved from http://www.informationr.net/ir/13-3/paper348.html
Wiley, D., Bliss, T. J., & McEwen, M. (2014). Open Educational Resources: a review of the literature. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 781-789). Springer New York.