Development of OER-based undergraduate technology course material: “TCC242/05 Web Database Application” delivered using ODL at Wawasan Open University
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Being one of the youngest open and distance learning institutions in Asia,Wawasan Open University (WOU) recently embarked on the journey towards adopting and adapting open educational resources (OER) as self-directed course material for its adult learners pursuing their undergraduate degrees. Moving away from the economically non-viable model of providing free textbooks along with wrap-around course material, WOU has since adopted the approach of developing self-contained or “stand-alone” course materials, which eliminates the necessity for an accompanying textbook. However, the course development life cycle for such stand-alone course materials spans approximately 12 to 18 months, as all the necessary learning components need to be developed from scratch. As a result, the number of courses being offered each semester is reduced, leaving the students with a lack of options when it comes to the selection of courses for enrolment. This situation results in reduced revenue and inefficient staff (resource) allocation for the university, whilst causing increased degree completion times for the learners. As a possible measure for addressing the aforementioned issues, the School of Science and Technology, along with the Institute for Research and Innovation, initiated a pilot project to investigate the adaption of readily available OER material under a Creative Commons licence to be used as course material for undergraduate learners in the Information Technology discipline. This chapter discusses the development process, licensing issues, institutional policy issues and benefits identified during the development of the OER-based course material, titled “TCC242/05 Web Database Application”.