Open Educational Resources

Corresponding to An Event History Modeling Study

April 4, 2025

The No-Cost/Low-Cost and OER Impact on Time-to-Credential: An Event History Modeling Study published recently in the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education explores the efficacy of no-cost/low-cost (NCLC) programs on student credential completion and persistence. The publication utilized a robust list of definitions and variables. In alignment and in support of Open practices, the accompanying codebook is now available for public use. The codebook is designed to serve as a tool for those that seek to explore whether their own no-cost/low-cost and OER programs impact time-to-credential at their own institutions and systems. View and personalize the codebook and customize it to replicate your own study.

An Event History Modeling Study

January 10, 2025

This study explores the efficacy of no-cost/low-cost (NCLC) programs on student credential completion and persistence. The study looked at student-level data between the fall 2014 and 2021 academic year at a community college in the West. A retrospective cohort design with multivariate logistic regression and survival analysis was used to investigate the influence of attempted NCLC on student completion. Findings indicate that students, across all demographic categories, who attempt NCLC credits increase their likelihood of graduation with a large impact for older students. Our findings also indicate that student NCLC credits do not decrease time-to-completion compared to students who do not participate in NCLC credits. Students who participated in NCLC programs, however, graduated at a higher rate than those who did not participate. In this article, we provide recommendations for policy, practice, and research on the use of NCLC and its impact on student outcomes. Authors include Liliana Diaz Solodukhin, Colleen Falkenstern, and Patrick Lane from WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit, who partnered with JG Research & Evaluation. Published by the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education.

Gap Analysis and Environmental Scan

Sharing Observations, Priorities, Opportunities in the National OER Landscape

December 17, 2020

The four regional education compacts—the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education—are working together to help scale the adoption and use of open education resources nationally to allow millions students access to free, high-quality learning resources. This publication provides a summary of the work of two focus groups compromised of experts in the field of OER. The report shares the group’s observations on the OER landscape, identified opportunities and priorities, and recommendations and next steps.

Advancing OER Initiatives: A Responsible Use of COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds

Written by Liliana Diaz Solodukhin

November 11, 2021

To mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has enacted several emergency relief bills. These emergency relief bills have introduced an influx of funding that has states and higher education institutions working to identify investments that are responsive to the pandemic and its effects. Effects include a national 5.9 percent enrollment drop in spring 2021 from the previous year for all incoming students and an 11.3 percent drop at community colleges, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.1 Institutional responses to the pandemic are varied but many include reengaging students who left or did not start their postsecondary education because of the pandemic and continuing to boost student success for those that remained enrolled amid a tumultuous year, all while not creating new ongoing costs.2 One approach to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), which, as a high-impact practice, have been found to increase student success and institutional efficiency. Implementation of OER is a wise investment, as it reduces the costs of course materials like textbooks; broadens collaboration among faculty, staff, and administration; improves student outcomes; and can be a key part of achieving postsecondary strategic goals and state policy priorities.3 WICHE and the other regional compacts, with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, are working with states and institutions to scale the use and effectiveness of open education.