OER Digest – August 31, 2023
Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 173 | August 31, 2023
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Wisconsin Open Education Symposium is currently accepting proposals for the third annual, virtual event held October 27, 2023. The Committee is looking for engaging presentations on the theme “Investing in our Students.” Visit the Symposium web site for more information or to submit a proposal. Session proposals are due tomorrow, September 1st.
OPENED23 AND OPENED24: Registration is open for OpenEd23. Join virtually on November 7-9 for $75 USD (earlybird) or $25 USD (students). Also, planning is underway for OpenEd24 and community feedback is needed to decide on an in-person venue. Weigh in through this brief survey.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: Registration is now open for the SUNY OER Summit 2023 – OER in Focus: Innovations, Impact, and Implementation! The summit will be virtual via Zoom on October 11- 12, 2023, with pre-conference workshops on October 10. To register, and for more details about the conference schedule, speakers, and topics, please visit: https://sunycpd.eventsair.com/soer23/
APPLY NOW: The Open Education Network has released a Call for Applications for the 2024 cohort of the Certificate in Open Education (formerly OER) Librarianship program. Applications are due on October 20th.
APPLY NOW: The Open Education Network is also accepting applications for the second offering of the Certificate in Open Educational Practices. Please see the Call for Applications for more information. Applications are due by October 27th, and only faculty/librarian teams will be considered.
JOB OPPORTUNITY: The William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University is hiring an Open Educational Resources Instructional Designer (two-year, grant-funded position) to support twelve faculty teams from across four California colleges and universities to design, develop, and implement OER to improve the affordability, accessibility, and diversity of course materials. Learn more and apply now.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM NORTH CAROLINA: The Bluford Library at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received a $31,902 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to support an Open Educational Resources syllabus review service. This service is designed to lower the cost of classes for N.C. A&T students and increase the use of high-quality OER within the university. “This grant has the potential to positively affect how institutions, students, and educators curate and engage in educational resources,” said cataloging and metadata librarian Franklin Robinson. “The financial impacts of Open Educational Resources are substantial and multifaceted”. Read More >>
FROM NEW MEXICO: The University of New Mexico library’s OER initiative announced a collaboration with the Department of English Language and Literatures in the development of an OER designed for First-Year English Core Composition classes. The creation of the OER will save students money and make course work much more accessible. With over 3,500 students in composition classes, the UNM English Department is poised to save students over $96,00 within a single semester. “The sheer volume of high-quality options available through OER enables faculty to select, as well as edit and combine, materials that suit their programs and instructional methodologies,” said Leandra Binder, contributor, and part-time English Faculty member. Read More >>
FROM IOWA: Iowa State University Agronomy Professor Walter Suza is making plant genetics educational materials more engaging and accessible for students on campus and far away. With support from a Miller Open-Education Mini-Grant through the University Library at Iowa State, Suza and his team are creating a new set of Applied Learning Activities (ALAs) to enhance the lessons. They received seed money and support through Suza’s participation in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows Program sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Office of Academic Innovation and Start Something CALS. “I thought there must be a better way than to assign a $200 textbook that we only use a few chapters from,” he said. Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
Jamie Martin, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs from Broward College in Florida, recently made a substantial revision and update of a Creative Commons English composition textbook for use in his classes and is excited to share it with a wider audience.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Great to Share >>
Free your content! A guide to creating sustainable open licensed media | Times Higher Education
How Creative Commons Will Advance Open Licensing Understanding Within 25 California Community Colleges | Michelson 20MM
Free textbooks and other open educational resources gain popularity | Physics Today
Interesting to Consider >>
A Book Is a Book Is a Book—Except When It’s an e-Book | The Nation
How is OpenStax free? | OpenStax
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.
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