Open Educational Resources Opinions and Academic Confidence

Many studies have been completed over the economic benefit of Online Educational Resources (OER), but few studies have been completed on the student perspective of OER. According to one study, “Implementation of OER can improve student performance, but often indirectly through increased confidence, satisfaction and enthusiasm for the subject.” (Farrow, Pitt, Arcos, Perryman, Weller, & Mcandrew. 2015). A study by Dowell and Small (2011) notes that website visits and e-content read can improve student academic performance. We have reason to believe that OER can have a positive impact on student academic performance, which in turn can increase their academic confidence. The researchers aim to determine a possible relationship between OER use and increased academic confidence by analyzing student opinions. The benefits of this study include expanding the little pre-existing research on this topic, improving the integration of free learning resources for students, and helping professors teach future classes more effectively.