Week 5 Open Educational Resources (Global Education)

Open education resources are tools that educators use such as books, e-books, online lesson plans, affordable tuition, online accessible education, ect. An open education resource could be anything that can easily accessed by everyone fairly and promote equal opportunities. More and more colleges are creating affordable tuition degree programs, creating more opportunities for low income individuals. For an example, a high tuition program at USC costing over $150,000 for a two year bachelor degree was out ran by local community college offering the same degree for only $35,000. After years of students accepting a lower tuition cost over paying for a university brand name, this offered more students the opportunity to become successful. Due to the competition, USC closed that long time standing department, shocking the close nit industry. The Los Angeles Community College District has been one of the first community colleges to offer bachelor degree programs at a low tuition cost. Let’s continue to expand the accessibility for all to achieve educational success for domestic citizens or international students. Prior  to open education resources being more readily available, the playing field for students was not equal for all, allowing affluent student too have the upper hand in excelling due to access of resources. As resources have become more easily accessible to students for a low or free cost, leveling out the playing field. Diversifying and creating opportunities for students, foreign or domestic allows for all to create a life for themselves they once couldn’t achieve without formal education. Once the pandemic forced all colleges to be online, many resources used by professors like online learning platforms and resources proved that these methods work. The benefit for tearing down barriers can be compared to the civil rights act. We are all equal. We did not choose what family or financial situation to be born into, so by offering college grants, scholarships, or low/ free tuition, education can be a possibility for everyone or at least close the gap for the less affluent.