Open educational resources in higher education -survey investigated what higher education teachers know and think about open educational resources (OER).
The aim was to obtain a representative sample of both teachers who use OER and those who have not used them. For this reason, the survey was directed at individuals who teach in selected educational or degree programs, regardless of their job title or position.
The survey was conducted from March to May 2026. A total of 135 responses were received: 93 from universities and 42 from universities of applied sciences. The most responses were received from humanities (45), followed by education (31). Tied for third place, each with about twenty responses, were information technology and telecommunications, agriculture and forestry, and health and wellness.
Preliminary results showed that the three most commonly used types of OER were slide presentations, articles, and online educational resources. Educational and other videos trailed only slightly behind these, while fewer than half of the teachers used podcasts.
About three out of four teachers felt they were well or very well informed about the concept of OER. However, only slightly more than half reported having used OER, and one-quarter were unsure whether any of the materials they had used were open.
OER were used most frequently for self-study and to prepare for classes. Finding high-quality OER was seen as a challenge.
The survey was conducted by the Working group on the curation and peer review of open educational resources, which is one of the working groups under the Open Education Expert Panel in the national Open Science and Research Coordination. The results of the survey will be used to prepare an article based on a more detailed analysis.
The survey was conducted by:
- Sinikka Luokkanen (Häme University of Applied Sciences)
- Mika Rekola (University of Helsinki)
- Konsta Wilenius (University of Helsinki)
- Marjo Vallittu (University of Jyväskylä)
- Hellevi Hakala (Metropolia University of Applied Sciences)
- Suvi Jutila (University of Oulu)
- Mira Juppi (Savonia University of Applied Sciences)
- Ilmari Jauhiainen (Federation of Finnish Learned Societies / Open Science and Research Secretariat).
Picture: Scott Graham, Unsplash
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