Professor Loghin has been teaching at MCC for the last 13 years and started using OER six years ago in her Introduction to Sociology course.
It was a two-day workshop on Open Educational Resources (OER) at UMass Amherst that broadened her perspective on incorporating OER into her courses and ultimately led her to adopt an OpenStax textbook to enhance accessibility and affordability for her students.
For any faculty thinking about adopting OER, she advises: “Start small by exploring just two or three OER resources to get a feel for what's available. Don’t stress about finding the perfect course materials right away—many OER materials can be customized and adapted to fit your specific needs over time. The key is to get started and refine as you go.”
She sees using OER as a game changer for students because it makes learning more affordable and accessible. “With free textbooks and resources, they don’t have to worry about the high cost of traditional materials. Plus, they can access everything online anytime, making studying more flexible. OER also keeps things fresh since materials can be updated and adapted to fit the course better.”
Professor Loghin has received positive feedback from her students about her use of OER. She finds that OER helps make education fair by giving all students free access to learning materials, so cost isn’t a barrier. It also allows instructors to adjust resources to fit different learning needs, making education more inclusive for everyone.
Professor Loghin, we appreciate your commitment to OER!