Open educational resources (OERs), or open source content, are free, accessible, openly licensed (public domain) documents, textbooks, media, lab activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, etc. used for education learning, assessment or research (Kauppinen, 2013). As concerns about the skyrocketing costs of a college degree have converged with increasing availability of open resources, higher education administrators are encouraging faculty and curriculum designers to consider the use OERs in the design of courses and programs. This session will examine the experience of using OERs to build two low-cost online degree programs. Special attention will be given to lessons learned from the process, strategies related to using OERs, as well as struggles and success in engaging students with the material. Lastly, potential areas for further research will be discussed.
