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Open Resources for Biology Education (ORBE): a resource collection
Sanah Ahmed1, Tiffany Adjei-Opong1, Ashley B Heim1
1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education
|May 6, 2024
Summary
Open educational resources (OERs) improve life sciences education accessibility and affordability. The Open Resources for Biology Education (ORBE) collection centralizes these valuable OERs, aiding instructors in finding relevant materials for undergraduate courses.
Area of Science:
- Life Sciences Education
- Biology Education
- Open Educational Resources
Background:
- Open Educational Resources (OERs) enhance accessibility, retention, and cost-effectiveness in undergraduate life sciences.
- A significant challenge persists in locating centralized and relevant OERs for instructors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the Open Resources for Biology Education (ORBE) collection, a curated set of 89 OERs.
- To provide a centralized tool for undergraduate life sciences instructors to discover and utilize relevant OERs.
Main Methods:
- Collected OER usage data from undergraduate life sciences instructors.
- Curated a collection of 89 unique OERs based on instructor input.
- Summarized the contents and utility of the ORBE collection.
Main Results:
- The ORBE collection comprises 89 unique OERs tailored for undergraduate life sciences.
- The ORBE serves as a practical tool for educators to identify suitable teaching materials.
Conclusions:
- The ORBE collection addresses the challenge of OER discoverability for undergraduate biology instructors.
- Increased awareness and utilization of OERs can be facilitated by centralized resources like ORBE.
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