Digital Learning: Exploring Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use of Open Educational Resources

The present study investigates the purpose, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude toward open educational resources (OER) among postgraduate students at a state university in Odisha, India. A structured questionnaire was distributed to students to evaluate the purposes of using OER, including their perceptions. The survey received responses from 285 students across various disciplines. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in IBM SPSS version 22. The study’s findings revealed that university students use OER to supplement their textbooks and lectures (58.9%), address personal educational needs (59.3%), and access updated content in their subjects (35.4%). The study’s findings showed that university students had a generally positive attitude toward OER, perceiving it as useful and easy to access. University students opined that the provision of OER is a good idea (mean = 4.34, SD = 0.71) and viewed it as promoting lifelong learning (mean = 4.26, SD = 0.64). Furthermore, the study revealed a significant difference in the perceived usefulness (t(283) = 1.99, p = .047) and perceived ease of use (OER, t(283) = 3.48, p = .001) of OER between the students from business, social sciences, and humanities and science and technology disciplines. Additionally, this paper outlines the activities that libraries can initiate to increase awareness and optimal usage of OER.