Using open educational resources to design an online academic research writing course: a project report

Abstract

The DETA Conference of August 2011 and the workshops on the use of open educational resources (OER) were the catalyst for a project that aimed to design and build a multidisciplinary online course in academic research writing, using OER for undergraduate and postgraduate students at a Nigerian university as a resource for research reports, assignments, dissertations, and theses. The project provided an opportunity for collaboration among lecturers and IT specialists, thereby raising awareness about the benefi ts of using OER and broadening the user base for these resources. Some of the challenges encountered include the lack of adequate access to the internet, possible lack of commitment to the project by some participants due to pressures of their workload, unrealistic timelines, and lack of familiarity with OER. The paper concludes with refl ections on the reasons for these challenges and suggests recommendations for scholars planning similar projects.