Motivating Factors among University Faculty for Adopting Open Educational Resources: Incentives Matter

Despite an increasing need for integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) into teaching at higher education institutions in North America, advocates could better understand how faculty are motivated to adopt OER. In particular, there is a lack of knowledge about how added incentives can help motivate faculty to adopt OER. Given reported barriers affecting OER adoption, evaluating what additional incentives might encourage faculty to try using OER will help higher education institutions understand what strategies would likely be effective in promoting OER use. This paper examines motivating factors regarding OER adoption using a case study in the University System of Georgia; for the study, we conducted an instructor survey with 77 respondents. The results showed that faculty were motivated not only by factors reported in prior literature such as the lowered costs and improved student learning but also by additional incentives provided by the University System of Georgia, including a monetary incentive and recognition for using OER. We also found that faculty experienced a variety of benefits and challenges associated with the adoption of OER. The study contributes to the understanding of what university faculty perceive and experience in adopting OER. In particular, we offer practical knowledge regarding additional incentives that higher education institutions could consider to motivate faculty to adopt OER and help them realize the benefits of using OER in their teaching.