Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) in Lebanon is a Catholic private, non-profit institution of higher education organized according to the American system of higher education. The main driver for the adaptation of OER at Notre Dame University-Louaize is to take advantage of the open resources freely available online from the United States.

A key rationale for piloting OER within the context of Lebanese higher education is the need to deepen student engagement and instill the value of self-directed learning as a strategy transferable to other learning situations. Other opportunities include:

Reducing barriers to learning from ever-increasing textbook costs;
Access to quality learning material in an Arab setting, in addition to textbooks;
Substituting for the static nature of traditional textbooks by more interactive OER lessons or textbooks; and, overall,
Creation of a dynamic, shifting classroom and information with which students can interact by nature of its digital format.

Based on these goals and the exchange with colleagues, a strategic direction was established at NDU for the implementation of OER, as well as promoting a culture of openness. By increasing awareness about the use of OER among faculty, staff and students, and by strategizing the development of OER policies and practices, a new direction was determined.

This article discusses the benefits, challenges and potential of implementing OER at this institution.

More articles can be found at Contact North/Contact Nord: https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/open-education-resources-oer-applications-around-world/taxonomy-term

Keywords

case study · course creation · OER awareness · OER implementation · open textbooks · professional development