Building Sustainable Communities Through Systematic Open Educational Resources Assessment: Evidence for Universal Applicability Across Diverse Learner Populations

Abstract

This study presents compelling evidence that systematic open educational resources (OER) assessment practices can foster sustainable communities of learning and practice, transcending traditional demographic barriers in higher education. Through a mixed-methods investigation involving 160 students across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, we discovered a remarkable finding: students' perceptions of OER assessment quality, usage, effectiveness, impact, and feedback mechanisms remain consistently positive regardless of programme type or residential background. This demographic-agnostic consistency suggests that well-designed OER assessment frameworks possess universal applicability, creating inclusive learning communities where all students can participate equally in open educational practices. Focus group discussions revealed five critical best practices for sustaining these communities: alignment with educational standards, systematic usage tracking, outcome-based effectiveness measurement, equity-focused impact evaluation, and the integration of continuous feedback. These findings demonstrate that systematic OER assessment not only enhances individual learning outcomes but also builds the foundation for sustained communities of open practice that can scale globally, supporting the democratisation of quality education across diverse contexts.