Friday! Tonight I watched the OpenEd 2021 session by Saia Almousa, a Ph.D. student at the University of Leeds present on “A Study of Academics’ Perception of OERs at Saudi Arabian Higher Education Institutions.” Almousa presented the research context for OERs in Saudi Arabia. While there have been studies in Arabic countries, there is a need for more research about OERs in Saudi Arabia and Arabic countries. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that affect the adoption of OERs. Almousa has several research questions, but focused on the question “what are the independent variables that affect the adoption of OERs in a Saudi Arabian university?” They framed the study using the theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. They analyzed the purpose and perception of OERs and behaviors of adoption and sharing. The participants were academic staff and e-learning assistants at the Saudi Arabian university. In three months, 512 questionnaires were received from respondents, and 504 completely filled questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS. Previous studies seem to indicate that there has been an increase in demand for online educational resources after the pandemic. This study will be interesting to learn about how different perceptions and adoption of OERs in Saudi Arabia are is in comparison to other countries. This doctoral research will help educators learn about a different perspective and how OER adoption may be impacted by the context in ways we not yet fully understand.
The second session we watched was entitled “Microinstruction in Open Education: Creating Inclusivity in Simplicity” by Lindsay Mitchell from the Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire. Mitchell has fourteen years of experience working online. Mitchell mentioned that “barriers exist in design and instruction, not learners.” and that simplicity can help users access and understand the content. Microinstruction was defined as instruction with five to ten-minute chunks. Mitchell explained that microinstruction responds to learners’ needs, limits reteaching, and leads to better responses. Mitchell mentioned that everything should be accessible via hyperlinks, device-friendly, short, and have and immediate applications. Mitchell also mentioned smaller files that will help reduce technological barriers. Simplifying the access reduces technological limitations, and the content is streamlined. The relationship of microinstruction to open education is because you create and use resources. Mitchell shared suggestions for best practices for microinstruction: for adults, video the content should be short, utilize landing pages and elements to provide functional organization. I had not considered the similarities that Mitchell suggested. “Good teaching” should include chunking, that aligns with microinstruction. These two short sessions have several things in common, and most importantly, helped me consider the opportunities for OER research and learn about additional best practices for the use of microcosms.
