Professor Arroyo has been teaching at MCC for seven years, and started using OER in her courses soon after that, about five years ago. Students in her Calculus II, Linear Algebra, and Discrete Mathematics courses benefit from these sources. She shares that, “reducing costs for students was the biggest initial draw for me to using OER. But, I've since found that using OER can provide students with more resources than a traditional textbook.”
In terms of the benefits to using OER, she finds “OER materials increase the affordability of education for our students. Using a variety of materials can also encourage students to look up other resources to enhance their learning.”
For faculty considering adopting OER for their courses, Professor Arroyo advises to “Start small; choose one course that is frequently taught at most colleges. There's probably a good OER book out there! Since it is not possible to use OER resources in all subjects and disciplines, I believe that those of us who do have good OER resources at our disposal should endeavor to use them.”
We are so grateful to have your support behind OER, Professor Arroyo!