Do institutions value peer-reviewed open educational resources? Insights from biology lesson authors

Open educational resources (OERs) are freely accessible and adaptable teaching materials. In biology, OERs in the form of published lesson plans have steadily increased over the past 20 years. These lesson plans cover core concepts in biology and act as guides to incorporate evidence-based teaching practices into courses. The development and publication of these resources also provide an opportunity for the recognition of teaching-focused scholarship. Journals that publish peer-reviewed OERs provide credit through citable references, allowing authors to be recognized for tenure, promotion, and advancement decisions. Yet, despite this potential for recognition, little is known about how authors perceive the value of these publications or how well they align with institutional reward systems. Here, we surveyed first authors of published peer-reviewed OERs and found that authors across institutional contexts personally valued their publications. However, there are significant differences in how authors at Non-Doctoral and Doctoral-granting institutions perceive how their institutions value OER publications. These results provide a foundation by which biology departments and institutions can strengthen support and recognition for OER authorship. Moreover, having guidance for how peer-reviewed OER publications count for decisions around professional advancement and recognition may be beneficial, especially for faculty in teaching-focused positions.