Open educational resources in the English for Academic Purposes context

Since the introduction of open educational resources (OERs) in higher education, many university lecturers have developed or adopted them for their students. Most studies in the field have concluded that OERs can reduce the costs incurred by students and lead to positive learning outcomes. This study attempts to extend the current body of knowledge about OERs by examining the challenges and opportunities associated with developing and adopting them in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) context. We conducted in-depth individual interviews with 14 EAP teachers who have experience adopting or developing OER materials at a Hong Kong university. The results suggest that quality, copyright, technology, and students’ needs influence the development and adoption of OERs. The teachers also found that the use of OERs is affected by customisation, accessibility, cost, and how they differ from traditional materials. However, they indicated that they need more resources and training opportunities from administrators in order to develop OERs. Some of our findings can be explained by the fact that EAP is a discipline in which practitioners can easily locate and adopt OERs developed by other stakeholders, such as libraries. In addition, this study examines evidence from the interviews and provides practical suggestions for how the OER movement can move forward. These suggestions include providing multidimensional training, developing a course-based materials repository, and conducting continuous professional research. This study offers a new perspective on the OER movement, as it indicates that the requirements and challenges associated with each individual discipline must be examined for the better promotion of OERs; it also provides insight into the viewpoints of EAP teachers.