At Metropolitan State University of Denver, professors and brothers Ben and Jon Dyhr are advancing accessible and customizable education through the Open Educational Resources program. Over the past six years, the program has grown from serving a few students to 30,913 seats filled in no- or low-cost courses in 2023-24, saving students an estimated $2.5 million in that academic year alone.
Jon Dyhr, an assistant professor of Biology, was motivated to explore OER after experiencing frustrations with costly and restrictive publisher materials. OER creates and shares freely available, openly licensed content that allows educators to tailor resources to their courses, and it was a better fit.
“I was using publisher slides but found myself constrained when seeking permission to share them online,” Jon Dyer said. “I knew about open-source software, which led me to investigate open resources for higher ed.”
At the same time, Ben Dyhr, a professor of Mathematics and Statistics, began using OER in 2017 to improve educational accessibility. “I wanted to eliminate the obstacles students often had, like not being able to afford textbooks,” he said.
This commitment led him to adopt OER for high-enrollment courses, creating a more inclusive learning environment.
Since then, Ben has led the transition of Mathematics for Liberal Arts (MTH 1080) and Introduction to Statistics (MTH 1210) to OER formats, impacting more than 700 students this semester alone and contributing to significant cost savings.
Looking to speed up OER adoption in the state, Jon serves as vice chair and chair-elect on the Colorado Open Education Resources Council, where he helps award grant funding. He also converted his Human Anatomy and Physiology and Neurobiology courses to open-resource formats, ensuring that students have access to free, high-quality materials.
The Dyhrs’ work supports MSU Denver’s push for zero-textbook-cost degree pathways in fields such as Chemistry, Biochemistry and Communication Studies, allowing students to complete degrees without purchasing textbooks or other required resources.
Spreading the word
Ben encourages interested faculty members to get started by connecting with the OER community. “Start with OER conferences or faculty learning communities,” he advised, noting that collaboration can make adoption easier.
Jon echoed this sentiment and highlighted the benefits of OER for instructors and students alike. “Being able to tailor education materials to my unique group of students improves learning outcomes,” he said. “Providing those materials at low cost or free makes education more inclusive, ensuring that students have equal access to materials from Day One.”
Learn more about OER or attend the OER celebration Thursday at 2 p.m.
