Guy Cohen 

PI: Dr. Anat Cohen
School of Education

Open Educational Resources for informal personalized learning in the era of COVID-19 

Institutions, organizations and policymakers strive to use Open Educational Resources (OER) to promote student equity and social inclusion. The global COVID-19 crisis and its side effects, among them a massive wave of layoffs alongside the need to adjust to new workplace environments, have sharpened the need for lifelong learning and have underscored the importance of the higher education system in this endeavor. Most studies examining online learning do not challenge the assumption that online courses are the primary way to provide online educational content. Our study describes informal learning through OER among adults during the COVID-19 crisis, distinguishing between employed and unemployed individuals and between professional and personal development. A questionnaire distributed during the COVID-19 lockdown focused on three themes: types of OER used for learning during this period; perceived OER usefulness (PU); and changes in OER use due to the crisis. Our preliminary findings revealed group differences in types of OER used and in changes brought about by COVID-19, as well as within-group differences based on personal characteristics. This exploratory research provides insights into the preferences of individual groups. These insights can enhance discussions about the future of open education by reflecting a broader picture of OER use. In addition, by distinguishing between employed and unemployed populations and between professional development and personal development, the study can contribute to redesigning OERs for the needs of the labor market. To date, very little research has differentiated between groups according to their informal learning preferences. Furthermore, an examination of differences according to personal characteristics can reveal the OER preferences of each group, which can be used for OER customization to reach better engagement.