Tim Lewis - History

1) What drove you to make the decision to switch to OERs?

There were two primary reasons that led me to drop textbooks and adopt OER alternatives. First and foremost was the cost saving that they offer to students. University education is prohibitive for many, thus any cost saving should be sought out.

Equally of importance is the fact that hand-picking the readings I want for each course, while a bit more time consuming than simply ordering a textbook or collection of readings, gives me the ability to choose exactly the readings that I deem to be most relevant to my courses. It also is far more efficient as inevitably textbooks or reading anthologies contain material that will never be used in the course.

 So making use of OERs allows me to use materials that I think are best, without any irrelevant content, and students get to save money in the process. It’s a win-win.

2) What was the biggest hurdle you overcame?

If there is any hurdle it is the time required to search out materials, but I generally enjoy that process, and I am always looking for new readings each time I do a course.

3) Where did you find the most support?

The online sources available through the VIU library system are extensive. I could not do what I do without their holdings.

4) Do you have any further thoughts about OERs since making the switch?

 I would encourage other instructors to adopt OERs as much as possible, if appropriate materials exist. All can benefit as a result.