Using OER to Help Meet Students' Basic Needs

An age ago in my first psychology class, I was introduced to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—a pyramid-shaped tool used to explain the basic needs of humans. The more of these levels met, the more a human will grow and flourish. The bottom level of the pyramid—the foundational, basic needs— are psychological needs. These are things like having food and water, air to breath, and a place to use the bathroom. The second level—the safety level—includes having a place to live, having a stable home life or income, and not living in dangerous situations.

For a student of any age, not having these foundational needs met means they cannot reach any of the levels above those foundations. The lack of safety and worry over where their next meal may come from means they will not be able to focus on the areas of study. They will not feel a part of the group, and are much more likely to isolate or may not get along with classmates. Until the basic needs are met, there is no way to gain those top levels: belonging, confidence, and creativity.

This week I reviewed several studies on food and housing insecurities at the collegiate level, and the way in which OER could help address these gaps. In a 2019 study,

*39% of students surveyed had experienced food insecurities in the last month

*46% had experienced housing insecurities in the previous year, and

*17% had experienced homelessness in the previous year

It’s easy to dismiss this as a worldwide issue. Homelessness, housing costs, and food access have long been social issues directed to governments or charities. But this is a unique area for adult learners, and one which colleges may be able to directly address using OER.

One of the studies mention that “though aid exists, most do not access them”. This suggests that students are either unaware of aid set aside for them, find gaining access to the aid cumbersome, or have some stigma attached to the use of aid. So, at the minimum, universities and faculty need to include more education and accessibility to the aid, even down to—as the study suggested-- having the information within class syllabi and mentors assigned to students needing comprehensive aid.

So how can OER help bridge this gap? This same study surveyed 2000 students who had taken classes which used OER instead of purchasing textbooks. Students were asked where they spent the money they had saved by using OER. As shown in my poster below, reallocating costs of a textbook quickly adds up to big savings.

Clearly by using OER, the foundational needs of students could be better met, giving way to reaching the higher levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy. We could see more engaged students, more collaborative spirits, confidence, and creativity which not only would benefit these students and their families, but the whole of humanity.

After 2000 students at Brigham Young University in 2017 took classes in which OER replaced