How to Promote the Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in Higher Education. A Parley with OER Experienced Teachers

The  idea  of  Open  Educational  Resources  (OER)  is  nowadays  widespread  in  higher  education.  However,  notwithstanding  their  supposed  benefits,  the  actual  adoption  of  OER  in  teaching  remains  low.  Due  to  this  absence,  various  studies  have  primarily  focused on (the lack of) OER awareness among teachers and identified barriers to their use. This article argues that the current debate could benefit from insights from those who are already using OER in their teaching practices. Examining their perspectives can disclose measures that promote the adoption of OER. A mixed-method approach was applied that comprised an expert survey among  32 OER experienced higher education teachers in Germany, which results were then subject to a focus group discussion with 20  of  them  to  validate  and  differentiate  the  results.  Overall,  the  results  reveal  that  teachers prefer measures comprising incentives and support rather than obligations. Exemplarily,  a  commitment  to  publish  all  materials  as  OER  was  rejected.  Instead,  a  more  fundamental  transformation  was  requested  from  closed  to  open  practices.  Therefore, it can be stated that the teachers underlying path is guided by a desire for a shift towards openness in higher education. The measures favoured by the teachers can thus be understood as essential puzzle pieces that contribute to the bigger picture of openness.