Exploring Open Educational Resources Attitudes in Mathematics

In Spring 2021, Ashley Morrison, Open Education Librarian, and Lydia Fletcher, librarian liaison to the Department of Mathematics, embarked on a qualitative analysis of the awareness and response of faculty in the Mathematics department at UT Austin to open educational resources (OER). The University of Texas Libraries are invested in the awareness and adoption of OER to reduce students’ costs in accessing higher education and to enable innovative pedagogies that OER permits, such as the free sharing, localization, and other customization of open course materials to their particular course needs. Through a series of individual interviews with Mathematics faculty and instructors (averaging about 45 minutes), we have sought a deeper understanding of these benefits, challenges, and needs to illuminate the possibilities for expanding the reach of OER at UT Austin and beyond