Beyond access : university students’ experiences with open educational resources

Al Sulaimi, Salwa and McArthur, Jan (2025) Beyond access : university students’ experiences with open educational resources. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

As part of the growing open education movement, Open Educational Resources (OER) have gained increasing scholarly attention in recent years. Having been conceptualised in the early 2000s, research on OER remains in its early stages, with the majority of scholarship in this field being largely theoretical, focusing on conceptual and philosophical discussions. Even within the growing body of empirical research on OER adoption, most studies have relied on surveys and data analyses conducted in controlled experimental settings. There remains limited understanding of how different users independently engage with these resources in their learning, and a notable lack of systematic reflection and theory-driven inquiry into the OER phenomenon. This study employs a phenomenographic approach to investigate how undergraduate students in a university in Oman experience OER. The study is based on interviews with a sample of twenty students from different specialisations. Interviews were subject to phenomenographic analysis to identify patterns of variation in the students' experiences using OER. Given the absence of a national and institutional OER policy in the setting of the study, this research aims to provide insights into students’ independent use of OER, in an endeavour to inform and guide OER integration within the institution’s curricula and information systems. The study's findings are presented as an outcome space that identifies four distinct ways in which the participants experience the OER phenomenon. They use OER in the following ways: 1) as resources in guided formal learning; 2) as resources for self-directed support in formal learning; 3) as resources for self-directed support in integrated learning; and 4) as resources for lifelong learning. Overall, the progression from category 1 to category 4 reflects a shift from basic academic dependency to autonomous and future-focused engagement with OER. These findings imply that when commonly researched advantages of OER, such as cost-saving and enhanced learning outcomes, are not at the foreground of the experience of OER use, other, and arguably more impactful, perceived benefits are highlighted. In the context of this study, OER are primarily valued for their diverse modalities, particularly when compared to traditional resources. At a deeper level, OER enabled learners to assume a more active role in their learning. These results guide future endeavours in OER research and integration in higher education. The thesis contributes to the literature by offering empirical validation for the long-anticipated yet underexplored potential of OER in fostering independent learning and enhancing learner agency. The study also contributes to the field of information-seeking behaviour by detailing the motivations and ways that undergraduate students use an important category of electronic resources, that of OER.