Open Educational Resources and ESL Rducation: Insights from US Educators

The open education movement has resulted in the proliferation of content that is freely produced, shared, remixed, and reused by instructors in various disciplines throughout the world. However, little is known about whether or not English as a second language (ESL) instructors in the United States (US) are taking part. This study reports on the survey responses of 310 ESL instructors working in various US educational contexts. Results indicate that 59% of respondents were either aware or very aware of open educational resources (OER). Instructors with less teaching experience were two times as likely of being aware of OER than more experienced instructors. Instructors working in K-12 settings were more likely to use OER than those teaching in community colleges and universities. Respondents\u27 main reasons for using OER include the ease of adapting/incorporating OER in their courses and that OER address aspects of their course not found elsewhere. Primary reasons for not using OER include difficulty in locating OER and the quality of the materials. Respondents indicated that OER have made their teaching more interesting/dynamic, provided for the inclusion of more authentic materials, and helped to better address the needs of their students and the goals of their ESL program