Awareness of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Utilization by Postgraduate Students of The National Open University of Nigeria in the South-South Region

Abstract

This study examined the utilisation of open educational resources (OER) among
postgraduate students of the National Open University of Nigeria in South-South
Nigeria. In order to achieve this objective, three research questions were raised.
Descriptive survey research was employed. From a population of 2,119 postgraduate
students, a sample of 318 was drawn using a stratified random sampling technique.
The questionnaire titled "Utilisation of Open Educational Resources (OER) by
Postgraduate Students of the National Open University of Nigeria in South-South
Nigeria (UOERPS) was the instrument used for data collection. The Cronbach's alpha
reliability coefficient was employed to determine the instrument's consistency, and its
test yielded an overall reliability coefficient of 0.72. Frequencies, statistical mean, and
standard deviation were used to answer the research questions with a criterion mean
of 2.50. While inferential statistics were used for the hypotheses. The finding revealed
that postgraduate students are moderately aware of open educational resources. The
OER used by the students are learning modules, video streaming, lecture materials
online, open courseware, e-books, syllabi, open-access electronic thesis (OAET), open
textbooks, open-access journals, courseware, videos, and YouTube. They often use
open educational resources. There is a need for university library management to
encourage initiatives aimed at raising awareness, such as online seminars and the
retraining of postgraduate students on the skills needed for OER. Efforts should be
made by Librarians to promote the usage of OER among universities and libraries.