Utilization, Challenges, and Best Practices of Open Educational Resources in Illinois Community Colleges.

Open educational resources (OER) are widely employed at community colleges to cut college textbook costs for students. In this qualitative study, we explored how Illinois community colleges are utilizing OER and what challenges they face while implementing the initiative. Using the diffusion of innovation theory, our qualitative study posed these research questions: How do Illinois community colleges utilize OER broadly, and what are some challenges and best practices related to OER use? The findings highlight that the use of OER to replace traditional textbooks continues to gain traction in some Illinois community colleges because of its affordability for students. The success of OER implementation depends largely on the attitude of leadership and staff toward new initiatives. The study has presented a set of recommendations for practice and policy.