Evolving Access to Educational Materials

The purpose of this presentation is to interrogate how the selection of emerging types of educational resources impact learners’ educational experiences. In the presentation I will review the existing literature on emerging problems and barriers to learners’ access to educational materials, including textbooks and open educational resources. The findings from the literature review confirm that learners are now engaging with an increasingly complex ecosystem of educational materials, both print and digital, in a multitude of differing forms and formats, with various terms of use and durations of sustained access (Author, 2019). Educators have a variety of choices to make when considering the learning materials to be used in their courses, and while fitness for purpose still dominates as the most important selection criterion, ease and persistence of access are becoming important considerations. I will share a model which encapsulates the findings considering the variety educational materials and some of the specific considerations for each. This model will be used for a think-pair-share discussion with audience members, which will inform future iterations of the model.