OER Digest

OER DIGEST – June 16, 2022

Aishah Abdullah (SPARC) | Volume 155 | June 16, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

OPEN ACCESS WEEK THEME: The Open Access Week Advisory Committee announced that “Open for Climate Justice” is the theme for this year’s International Open Access Week, which will take place on October 24-30. This year’s focus on Climate Justice seeks to encourage connection and collaboration among the climate movement and the international open community. Tackling the climate crisis requires the rapid exchange of knowledge across geographic, economic, and disciplinary boundaries. The theme announcement was launched in sync with the new OA Week website where you can find all the information on the theme, dates, and more.

U.S. OPEN TEXTBOOK PILOT UPDATE: The 2022 application period for the Open Textbook Pilot program is open. The grant competition will award approximately $2.6 million in federal funds to higher education institutions to create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks. Applications are due July 25, 2022, and the Department of Education will hold pre-application webinars on June 23 and 29th (see slides here). The Department is also calling for Peer Reviewers.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is hiring an Open Educational Resources & Scholarly Communications Librarian who will work collaboratively across Library & Information Services (LIS). Apply by July 15, 2022

APPLY NOW: Open Oregon Educational Resources seeks an Open Education Instructional Technologist to work remotely to provide technical support services in developing openly licensed course materials. Please submit a cover letter, quote, and resume by July 30, 2022, to hofera@linnbenton.edu

APPLY NOW: Apply to run a Wikipedia assignment in Fall 2022, and ensure that the world has access to reliable and accurate information. Wiki Education’s support is fully funded, and there are no fees to run a Wikipedia assignment. The deadline to run the assignment in Fall 2022 is July 29. To get started click here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM NIGERIA: The National Universities Commission (NUC) recently shared that its Open Educational Resources repository currently has over two million resources. The resources are in a variety of forms such as courseware, lecture notes, textbooks, videos, maps, podcasts, conference presentations, and journals. Established in 2017, the facility which is maintained by the Commission is currently held by 153 Nigerian universities. According to the Commission, the OER repository was established as part of efforts to revitalize the academic content of the nation’s Universities as well as improve the quality of teaching and learning. Read More >>

FROM NORTH CAROLINA: The UNC Press is dedicated to combating the rising cost of textbooks. They made a commitment to open educational resources and recently released a new edition of a calculus textbook that is available for anyone, anywhere. The Press, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is located on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. In past years it has focused on its mission as a system-wide publication outlet, as well as its service to the 16 universities in the system, their faculties and students. Their goal is to expand access and resources to students across the state. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Pressbooks published a new open resource, Critical Thinking in Academic Research. This publication will introduce students to the techniques and principles of critical thinking. This text provides guidance on developing research questions and finding resources to answer them.

WEIGH-IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Pathways Project Publishes New Open Educational Resource | Boise State University

Interesting to Consider >>

Open Access | Wittenberg University

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER DIGEST – June 2, 2022

From Bilan Jama (CC USA) | Volume 154 | June 2, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

U.S. OPEN TEXTBOOK PILOT: The 2022 application period for the Open Textbook Pilot program is now open. Published last week by the U.S. Department of Education, the grant competition will award approximately $2.6 million in federal funds to higher education institutions to create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks in courses that are part of a degree-granting program, particularly those with high enrollments. The program is funded by Congress and administered by the U.S. Department of Education through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). While the total funding available is lower than in previous years (due to funds reserved for existing projects), the Department may fund additional applications submitted this round in future years. We strongly encourage anyone interested in the program to apply. More resources will be posted soon on SPARC’s policy page. Applications are due July 25, 2022.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: Utah State University (USU) Libraries seeks an Assistant to support the Open Educational Resources (OER) Program. Working in a collaborative team environment, the Library Assistant will contribute to OER initiatives to promote awareness, development, and integration of quality OER across all disciplines at USU. Learn more and apply here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The call for proposals for Open Texas 2022 is open, and the deadline has been extended to June 17, 2022. Proposals must be submitted via Cvent. Open Texas 2022 is being held virtually on September 21-23, 2022. Learn more here.

REGISTER NOW: Register now for a free, one-day professional development opportunity as part of The Pathways Project at Boise State. This August 5th workshop will include practice locating and editing OER and is geared toward all world language teachers, so please share with instructors you know who may be interested. RSVP has been extended to June 20th, and professional development credit is available. Please complete this form to register: https://forms.gle/LWRMZRWaLNvJ6czHA.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MICHIGAN: A Delta College initiative to save students money and provide free access to course materials has reached a new milestone. Since 2016, Delta’s Open Educational Resources initiative has saved students a total of $1 million in textbook costs. Michele Pratt, manager of Library Programs and Services and OER Committee co-chair, said the effort began to help with student success. Students saved more than $142,000 during the winter 2022 semester alone. “We know that a lot of students are financially constrained and one of the things they cut is textbooks,” Pratt said. “They often don’t realize they need a textbook until it’s too late. With OER, everyone has a textbook from day one of class because it’s free and online.” Read More >>

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: During the past few years, many Penn State Lehigh Valley faculty members have made it a priority to incorporate open and affordable educational resources (OAER) into their classroom instruction. That commitment was on vivid display at the first-ever Penn State Lehigh Valley Open and Affordable Showcase, a half-day conference sponsored by the campus Library and Academic Affairs. There, attending faculty and staff had the chance to recognize and celebrate OAER-related work at the campus, and to advance the importance of the resources regarding student access, affordability, and retention. “This is a relatively new and fast-growing movement within academia,” said Reference and Instruction Librarian Elizabeth Nelson, who coordinated the event with Head Librarian Jennifer Jarson. “According to a lot of students, many of these free resources are often better quality than paid materials.” “Free does not mean low quality. These are high-quality resources,” added Professor of Marketing Denise Ogden. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The Iowa State University Digital Press is happy to announce the final publication of a new open resource, written by Dr. Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Iowa State University, which has been undergoing final edits after an initial pilot phase: Dress, Appearance, and Diversity in U.S. Society. This textbook invites readers to explore how individuals and communities use dress as a way to communicate their various identities, with heightened attention to social justice, power, privilege, and oppression.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Open educational resources help students save money | The Connection

Interesting to Consider >>

Students’ Opinions of Professors Lean Positive | Inside Higher Ed

University faculty want more time to evaluate edtech, poll finds | EdScoop

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER Digest – May 19, 2022

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 153 | May 19, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

HAPPENING NOW: The OTESSA Conference is happening now online through Saturday May 20th, and the virtual platform will remain open until June 3, 2022, to watch any recorded or on-demand content. The conference is hosted by OTESSA, the Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association. Learn more and register here.

OEGlobal22: Not in Nantes for OEGlobal22? Join us to rewatch the keynote address that will be delivered by the amazing Dr. Sian Proctor. On May 24, 2022 at 3:00 PM EST, join us on Zoom to replay the keynote and have a discussion together. Register now to get your access!

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: The Open Education Network is accepting applications for faculty and librarian partners to receive a certification for open educational practices (OEP). Applicants should be higher education faculty who have a lesson that they wish to transform with open educational practices and teach in the spring of 2023. For more information, please visit the Call for Applications or the website.

APPLY NOW: The application period for the Michelson 20MM Spark Grant cycle is now open. The foundation is accepting OER grant LOIs aligning with their focus areas from May 17 – June 1st. Learn more from their webinar or website.

APPLY NOW: The Open Education Group is seeking applications for the next cohort of OER Research Fellows! Learn more about the OER fellowship here. Submit your application here. The deadline to apply is June 22, 2022

APPLY NOW: MHz Foundation, whose mission is to bring global culture and perspective to the world via digital programming with Curationist.org, is hiring an Educational Programs Manager with a focus on open education. This is a remote position. Learn more and apply here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MICHIGAN: The Western Michigan University Libraries awarded eight OER adoption grants and two creation grants to WMU instructors this month. The grants are anticipated to save students in 11 courses more than $91,000 in textbook costs in just one semester. “The savings for students continues to grow,” says Sara Volmering, marketing manager for University Libraries. “Every time an instructor repeats a course using an OER, a new group of students reaps the academic and financial benefits.” Read More >>

FROM NORTH DAKOTA: The University of North Dakota received a “Colleagues’ Choice Innovation Award” in April for their efforts to improve access and affordability of educational resources for students. The award was given by the Western Academic Leadership Forum at the Forum’s annual meeting in Portland, Oregon. The Forum is a membership organization for university administrators within the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). UND has promoted the use of OER by its faculty, with more than 90 faculty members from every school and college having adapted, adopted, or created OER to replace expensive texts, saving students $11 million since 2015. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The newest open textbook to be released in the University of Minnesota’s Open Textbook Library is Urban Literacy: Learning to Read the City Around You, an introduction to urban studies that explores different aspects of urban life, such as the environment, housing, and culture. The book was authored by Portland State University’s Leanne Serbulo.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Embracing OER Institutionwide | Inside HigherEd

Open-Source Law Textbooks: The Answer to the Book Buying Burden? | American Bar Association

Open to change? How higher ed can save millions, reach more students | University Business

The Cost of College | Santa Barbara Independent

Interesting to Consider >>

Decolonising Open Educational Resources (OER): Why the focus on ‘open’ and ‘access’ is not enough for the EdTech revolution | EdTech Hub

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER DIGEST – May 5, 2022

Aishah Abdullah | Volume 152 | May 5, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

OER STARTER KIT: A new resource has been published for faculty and staff interested in starting or leading OER efforts at their institutions: The OER Starter Kit for Program Managers. This resource was created to share the work involved in building and managing an OER program. It includes learning about open educational practices and asking team members to collect and report data on your program’s outcomes. Attend the launch party on May 10, 12:00-1:00 PM EST to learn more about the book, ask questions, and engage in discussions about program management for OER.

CLIMATE EDUCATION HUB: ISKME launched the Climate Education Hub on OER Commons on Earth Day. This hub is a work in progress as the developers seek out partners in the climate curriculum development community, the professional learning community, and those who are experts in teaching about climate change. The goal of this hub is to develop, over time, robust interdisciplinary collections of OER that integrate a discussion of climate change. If you know of any OER/climate-related work happening in your setting or have suggestions, email mindy@iskme.org.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The call for proposals for the 2022 Open Education Conference is now open. Details on submission requirements, session types, and how to submit a proposal are outlined in the call for proposals. The deadline to submit is May 27, 2022.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas (DigiTex), Texas Digital Library (TDL), and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) are now accepting proposals for the second annual, virtual Open Texas conference, to be held September 21-23, 2022.

LAST CHANCE: Applications for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program 2022-2023 cohort close Friday, May 6th at 11:59pm EDT.

APPLY NOW: Temple University is accepting applicants for Assistant Director of Open Publishing Initiatives and Scholarly Communications. It is a hybrid position and you can learn more and apply here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM KANSAS: Fort Hays State University recognized faculty and staff that made significant contributions to open educational resources on campus at their inaugural Engaged Scholars reception. Three campus academic departments were honored for their success in providing openly available and other zero-cost materials alternatives for students. The Department of Leadership Studies was recognized for expanding its use of OER in its courses. The Department of Advanced Education Programs earned recognition in the “Innovation” category. The Department of Nursing was honored as the team that had the highest impact with its OER improvements. Read More >>

FROM WASHINGTON D.C: George Washington Libraries awarded grants to faculty who will replace required traditional course materials with free, open resources. This is part of a university-wide effort to lower the cost of textbook prices. This grant, titled Adapting Course Materials for Equity Faculty, was launched earlier this semester and grant awards range from $250 to $1000. Eight professors received the grant who plan to switch to open materials between fall 2022 and fall 2023. Geneva Henry, dean of libraries and academic innovation, said,“We recognize that it’s also a barrier to access to information which is what we’re all about in Libraries. So we have been promoting for a very long time, the adoption of open education resources to increase affordability for our students.” Read More >>

FROM COLORADO: University of Colorado’s (CU) The Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Steering Team celebrated the 2022 Open Educational Resources Champion Award. The award celebrates educators across the four CU campuses who contribute to the open education movement. This four-year award program has allowed OER to save CU students $1 million. CU President Todd Saliman congratulated the educators who were awarded and shared, “Your efforts to support OER on your campuses and your dedication to growing this important program at CU are critical. Your work breaks down barriers to a world-class education so that all of our students can thrive and succeed.” Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The UMass Amherst Libraries are pleased to announce the publication of a new open textbook, Radical Social Theory: An Appraisal, a Critique, and an Overcoming. The book was written thanks to support from the University Libraries Open Education Initiative, which is intended to help faculty transition to open educational resources (OER).

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

How Open Education Centers Student Voices | Open Campus

Answering the Call for OER | Community College Daily

Interesting to Consider >>

6 Principles for Measuring the Cost Savings of OER | Campus Technology

Lumen Learning Grant Challenges Applicants to Improve OER | Campus Technology

Textbook Price Transparency Bill Passes Major Legislative Hurdle | Business Wire

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER DIGEST – April 21, 2022

From Bilan Jama (CC USA) | Volume 151 | April 21, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

BENEFITS AND COSTS OF OER REPORT: Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) released a new report entitled Toward Convergence: Creating Clarity to Drive More Consistency in Understanding the Benefits and Costs of OER. The report describes six principles to help define efforts to identify savings and returns from OER investments and offers two frameworks for making those calculations. Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the report is part of a series of projects designed to increase access, affordability and equity using OER and produced by National Consortium for Open Educational Resources (NCOER) which is a partnership between the regional compacts including MHEC, the New England Board of Higher Education, the Southern Regional Education Board, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH OER REPORT: Teaching and Learning With Open Educational Resources, conducted by SRI Education, is based on course observations and interviews with faculty members, students and administrators at eight community colleges that use OER. The aim of the study, which was conducted for Achieving the Dream, was to examine “whether the use of OER is leading to instructional transformation, what OEP [open educational practices] look like in the classroom, and how the use of these practices affects students,” according to the report. A particular focus was placed on “historically marginalized student populations” served by community colleges nationwide.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: Join PIJIP and New America for the Creating Culturally Responsive Materials with Open Educational Resources: Beyond Commercial Publishing webinar on April 28th at 3 pm ET. Learn more and register here.

REGISTER NOW: Join the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) on May 18th for Open Licensing with Creative Commons, a webinar part of SREB’s OER Summer Webinar Series. Learn more here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Prince George’s Community College is looking to hire a Director of Library and Learning Resources. Learn more and apply here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities is hiring an Open Education and Affordable Content Librarian. This position will help lead and shape the University Libraries’ efforts in developing strategies and services that facilitate the discovery, adoption, creation, and adaptation of open educational resources (OER), open textbooks, and affordable content. Learn more and apply here.

SAVE THE DATE: The Cal OER Organizing Committee invites you to save the date for the second annual Cal OER Conference, held virtually on August 3 – 5, 2022. This event is open to everyone, and the call for proposals will be released soon.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM IOWA: Two Wartburg College social work professors have secured grants totaling $5,500 to develop open-resource instructional materials for two undergraduate social work courses. Tammy Faux, chair of the Department of Social Work, received a $2,500 grant to develop content for an interviewing and assessing course. Tricia Coleman-Waterbury, assistant professor of social work, will use her $3,000 grant to develop resources for an existing open-resource book for an introductory-level social welfare course.“I am creating presentations, reading guides, chapter quizzes, exams and other activities for each chapter, which will make it easier for other professors and students to utilize the materials in the future,” Coleman-Waterbury said. “I did a midterm evaluation with my students to see if it was easy to use or if there were barriers to using the resources, and it was unanimous that they loved it.” Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The Office of Digital Learning & Inquiry at Middlebury College is pleased to announce the publication of The Asynchronous Cookbook. The activities in this cookbook draw on research and good practice in online course design to provide recipes – concise and specific instructions and examples – for adding asynchronous activities to a course.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Embracing OER Institutionwide | Inside Higher Ed

MIT OpenCourseWare launches NextGen platform | MIT News

Finding the ‘recipe’ for calculating OER benefits | EdScoop

Interesting to Consider >>

Expensive Textbooks Are Still A Problem. Will Higher Quality OER Help? | EdSurge

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER Digest – April 7, 2022

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 150 | April 7, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

10 YEARS OF OPENSTAX: OpenStax, Rice University’s educational technology initiative celebrates ten years of publishing free, open textbooks by releasing ten new titles this year. The latest publications are Introduction to Anthropology and a writing guide for English composition courses. Upcoming topics include finance, political science, computer applications, contemporary math, and world history. Read More >>

OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: Applications for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program 2022-2023 cohort are now open. The program is intensive professional development designed to empower academic professionals with the knowledge, skills, and connections to lead successful open education initiatives that benefit students. The deadline to complete the application form is May 6th at 11:59pm PDT.

REGISTER NOW: Join Open Education instructors and advocates Robin DeRosa and Rajiv Jhangiani for an open discussion via Zoom on Frameworks for Going Open. Robin and Rajiv will explore how Open Education can shape a hopeful and humane vision for the future of higher education. Learn more and register here.

REGISTER NOW: Interested in designing OER with sustainability in mind to facilitate future reuse and adaptation? Join the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER) for a “Sustainable OER Course Design” webinar on April 13th at 3pm ET! Learn more and register here.

REGISTER NOW: A new report, Toward Convergence: Creating Clarity to Drive More Consistency in Understanding the Benefits and Costs of OER will be released from MHEC on April 13. The report describes six principles to help define efforts to identify savings and returns from OER investments and offers two frameworks for making those calculations. A webinar introducing the report will be hosted on April 13, 1 pm CT.

JOB OPENING: University of Houston Libraries seeks an Open Educational Resources Librarian to join the Collections Strategies and Services Department. The librarian will collaborate with colleagues in and out of the library to promote open education and affordable course materials.

REGISTER NOW: The Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas is hosting a webinar, Supporting Equitable Access to Career & Technical Education through OER, on April 21, 2022 @ 2:00 PM CDT. Speakers include Teryk Morris, Machine Tool Technology Instructor at Linn-Benton Community College in Oregon, and Dr. Esperanza Zenon, Associate Professor of Physical Science at River Parishes Community College in Louisiana. The webinar is free and open to all, and live closed captioning will be provided. Learn more and register here.

CALL FOR PAPERS: The peer-reviewed Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy has put out a call for papers for its winter 2022 OER-themed issue. The issue is particularly special, as it is slated for our first ever to be launched in Manifold, the journal’s upcoming platform, which includes robust OER functionality itself. The deadline for submissions is May 15th.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MICHIGAN: A Washtenaw Community College program in Ann Arbor, MI has saved about $9 million for students in the last few years. The program has been applied to 47 of the college’s courses since fall 2017.“I have to work to pay my school, so for me it was a very good help at that time,” said Ana Andrade, a nursing student who has been at WCC since 2018. “With books, tuition, transportation, and other costs of college, it’s great to have more tools to help students with all the expenses.” Read More >>

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: An online bachelor’s degree program at Penn State has adopted free, open-source materials for its courses to help students save on their college costs.The bachelor of science in agribusiness management is the first degree program offered online at Penn State to exclusively use OER, in its core courses. The approximately 50 students enrolled in the major will not have to pay for textbooks, course packets, case studies or other course materials for the agribusiness management courses. Read More >>

FROM NEBRASKA: An OER program at the University of Nebraska Omaha has saved students more than $2 million since it began in the spring of 2019. Beginning with the Spring 2022 semester, courses that are fully converted to no-cost or low-cost (less than $40) are tagged in UNO’s online catalog as a part of the Open Nebraska (ONE) initiative so that students can make more informed decisions about their classes. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

At the end of February, OpenStax released Introduction to Anthropology, authored by professors from the University of Pennsylvania, Oregon State University, and the University of West Georgia. The book is a four-field text integrating diverse voices, engaging field activities, and meaningful themes like Indigenous experiences and social inequality to engage students and enrich learning. The contributors to and dangers of socioeconomic inequality are fully addressed, as is the role of inequality in social dysfunction, disruption, and change.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Momentum Grows For Open Educational Resources | Southern Regional Education Board

An Opportunity to Build a Better Education for All | Medium

UMass should speed up transition to open education resources | Daily Hampshire Gazette

Interesting to Consider >>

Perlego raises $50M to build out its vision of being the “Spotify for textbooks” | TechCrunch

Why This Professor Believes OER Can Make STEM More Inclusive and Affordable | EdSurge

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER Digest – March 24, 2022

Aishah Abdullah (SPARC) | Volume 149 | March 24, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

AFFORDABLE COLLEGE TEXTBOOK ACT: U.S. House and Senate lawmakers have reintroduced the Affordable College Textbook Act, a bill to expand the use and awareness of open educational resources at college and university campuses. The Affordable College Textbook Act (H.R.7040/S.3818) would authorize a federal grant program while strengthening existing textbook information disclosure requirements to better inform faculty and students. This bill also includes new requirements to disclose how publishers intend to collect and use student data.

OPEN TEXTBOOK PILOT: The U.S. Congress approved the fiscal year 2022 spending package, which includes $11 million in new funding for the Open Textbook Pilot grant program—a significant increase over last year. This brings the total amount secured for this program to $35 million over the last five years and marks a significant increase in annual funding over last year’s $7 million. It is important to note that the Department of Education plans to use $8.3 million of the new funds to cover second and third year costs for the last round of grantees, but the remaining funds would be available for new grants.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

#OPENED22 SAVE THE DATE: The Open Education Conference is excited to announce that #OpenEd22 will be held as a virtual event on October 17-20, 2022. Organized through a community-driven process, the 2022 Open Education Conference seeks to engage advocates and practitioners who strive to make education more accessible, affordable, and equitable to everyone.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR is hiring a full-time faculty Textbook Affordability Librarian to lead OER, Low-Cost Text, and other collection-focused initiatives to support students and faculty at CCC.

APPLY NOW: The Institute on Open Educational Resources is now accepting applications for their 2022-2023 program. This is a year-long program that is designed for campuses aspiring to launch or expand their initiatives to develop free and affordable learning materials.

NOMINATE NOW: The ACRL Academic Library Services for Graduate Students (ALSGS) Interest Group seeks nominations for the 2nd Annual Notable Works list for Library Support of Graduate Students. Submissions can include projects and publications by library workers or researchers in related fields who shed light on important elements of serving graduate students.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE), a new scholarly open peer-reviewed journal, is looking for submissions. JOERHE welcomes quantitative and qualitative research articles and discussion pieces concerning OER, Open Access, Open Data, or anything open in higher education.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MINNESOTA: The University of Minnesota’s Open Textbook Library reached a total of 1,000 open education resources in its collection. This library has just reached its 10th anniversary and is also celebrating this huge achievement of expanding its library. David Ernst, the founder of the Open Textbook library shares, “The Library visibly demonstrates our commitment to a more equitable higher education system. At this 10-year milestone mark, we’re thrilled with the Library’s success and see it as a reflection of the community’s generosity with their time, expertise, and resources.” The library plans to continue to expand their library and help open education become the standard. Read More>>

FROM OHIO: Lorain County Community College faculty members have been awarded a grant from OhioLink to learn how to teach with no-cost open resource course materials for students. Karin Hooks and Michelle Yuhasz are two of 29 faculty members from 15 colleges and universities across Ohio who will receive grants from the OhioLink Affordable Learning Open Course Redesign Grants program. OhioLINK estimates that over 4,000 students in Ohio could save as much as $300,000 per year as a result of instructors switching to OER or library materials to teach their classes. Read More>>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The Iowa State University Library released a new set of open illustrations for biology labs titled Biology 351 Anatomical Illustrations. These anatomical illustrations are an open resource created by Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration (BPMI) students.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Growing Program Reduces Textbook Costs for UNK Students | Kearney Hub

Georgia Highlands Wins National Award for Creating Free Textbook | Rome News Tribune

Interesting to Consider >>

Democratisation of Higher Education | The Pioneer

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER Digest – March 10, 2022

From Bilan Jama (CC USA) | Volume 148 | March 10, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

#OEWEEK: It’s Open Education Week! Be sure to check out #OEWeek and follow @OEWeek for updates on what’s going on this week and to engage with the community. The week, which is hosted by Open Education Global (OEG), is an annual celebration and opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide. Learn more and register your events here.

BAY VIEW ANALYTICS: Bay View Analytics will be exploring the future of OER in a series of webinars and conference presentations. Their presentations will cover the latest research on OER, which has been the culmination of multiple surveys of faculty and administrators. They will offer an overview of OER landscape, as well as predictions for the future, based on prevailing trends. These presentations and their research is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and conducted in part with a number of partners, including Online Learning Consortium, WCET, among others.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: Join PIJIP and Open RN for the Fair Use and Open Educational Resources (OER) – Creating and Adapting OER Using the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use webinar this Friday March 11 from 1:00-2:00 pm ET. Learn more and register here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The College of DuPage is hiring a Digital Content and Open Access Librarian, starting in August 2022. Applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. CST, April 4, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of San Diego is looking to hire a Students Success and Diversity Librarian who will be responsible for OER. Formal review of application will begin April 4, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Learn more and apply here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Tacoma Community College is hiring a Dean of Library & Learning Innovation. Priority consideration date is April 4, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

REGISTER NOW: The Open Textbook Library (OTL) is turning 10, and you’re invited to the birthday bash! Join them in celebrating this milestone along with higher education’s increasing engagement with open educational resources and practices over the past ten years. The event will be held on April 14, 2-3pm CT. Learn more and register here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MONTANA: Montana State University suggests that students budget $1,450 annually on books and supplies, but the MSU library and MSU Bookstore are working to reduce those costs and help make education more affordable for all students. Since the library rolled out an initiative about two years ago to support and encourage faculty to use open educational resources, 33 MSU faculty members have switched to existing open educational resources in their classes, according to Christina Trunnell, reference and instruction librarian with the MSU Library. Trunnell said that, collectively, that has saved more than 9,500 MSU students more than $1.1 million in textbook costs. She estimates that by the end of the fiscal year in June, the savings will have grown to $2 million. “That’s significant because it’s such a small percentage of MSU faculty,” she added. “Even a small number can result in large savings.”

OER Digest – February 24, 2022

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 146 | February 24, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

OPEN EDUCATION WEEK – MARCH 7-11: Open Education Week is coming up soon on March 7-11. The week, which is hosted by Open Education Global (OEG), is an annual celebration and opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide. You can participate in a number of ways such as hosting your own event, attending an activity hosted by another organization, sharing your favorite open assets, and promoting awareness on social media using the hashtag #OEWeek. Learn more and register your events here.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: InclusiveAccess.org is hosting a webcast called Reexamining “Inclusive Access” Textbook Programs on March 9, 2022, at 1:00 pm Eastern. Learn more and register here.

POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP: The Scholarly Communications Lab in Vancouver, BC, Canada is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join their interdisciplinary team of researchers. The program is focused on examining the Value of Openness, Inclusion, Communication, and Engagement for Science in a Post-Pandemic World.

OPEN ED GRANT: OpenSkill at Arizona State University is awarding OER Impact Grants of up to $10k to institutions as part of the Dept. of Ed. Open Textbooks Pilot Program. Our submission deadline has closed, but they are still accepting rolling submissions as funding permits.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of Kansas Libraries is hiring for an Open Education Librarian, who will lead and grow an established open education program and collaborate to support related scholarly communication initiatives. This is a full-time, 12-month, tenure-track faculty position and has the option of a hybrid work arrangement

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MISSOURI: Librarians Lena Marvin and Judy Schmitt from the University of Missouri–St. Louis worked with the university to launch a new landing page that collects OER created for use at UMSL and general information on the topic. Recently, Marvin and Schmitt helped create an updated version of one such resource, an immensely popular open textbook titled “An Introduction to Statistics in Psychological Sciences.” “It’s only been out since December 2021, and it’s over 700 downloads, which is pretty fast for a statistics textbook,” Marvin said. Read More >>

FROM WISCONSIN: Chippewa Valley Technical College is using some relief funding to respond to pandemic issues, but also to expand a free and low-cost textbook program. The college is using about $125,000 of its relief funding to draft a new, free nursing textbook. “Students took a financial hit during the pandemic, and developing more free textbooks means fewer financial barriers for them,” said CVTC director of Library Services Vince Mussehl. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The University of New Mexico’s Open Textbook Library, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is about to celebrate 1,000 OER, recently released The Story of Earth: An Observational Guide. The book, which was written by Daniel Hauptvogel and Virginia Sisson from the University of Houston, is a lab manual that focuses on helping students make observations of geologic data, including rocks, minerals, fossils, maps, graphs, and more.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Professors push colleagues to drop expensive textbooks | Spectrum News 1

Student groups take action against overpriced textbooks | The Daily Universe

Interesting to Consider >>

Librarian’s lament: Digital books are not fireproof | ZDNet

University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Textbook Fee Model Keeps Students’ Interests at Center | SPARC

Open-access publishing fees deter researchers in the global south | Nature

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

Regular Edition

OER Digest – February 10, 2022

Aishah Abdullah | Volume 146 | February 10, 2022

THE OER DIGEST

Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

OPEN EDUCATION WEEK: The annual, global Open Education Week is being held March 7-11, 2022. This week serves as an opportunity to share and learn about the latest achievements in open education across the globe. The open community is encouraged to host events and share resources during this week. You can submit your contribution by February 28th to be featured during OE Week 2022. Participate on social media using #OEweek.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The call for proposals is open for TWU Open Pedagogy Community’s Open Educational Practices Conference. Submission deadline is March 15 and the conference will be held virtually on April 20-21.

CALL FOR WORK GROUPS: The RIOS Institute is currently accepting proposals for new working groups. These groups receive a $2,000 budget to develop a tangible product aligned with the RIOS mission.

REGISTER NOW: Join SPARC for their “Breaking Down Silos in Open Education: Strategies for Collaboration” webcast taking place during OE Week on March 8th. This webcast will focus in on the issue of “silos” within the open education field: where barriers to collaboration exist, what factors can perpetuate them, and strategies to breaking them down.

REGISTER NOW: Connecticut’s OER Summit is now open for registration. This free virtual event will be held during March 1-4, 2022 and will focus on OER and issues of equity and opportunity.

REGISTER NOW: SREB’S OER and Dual Enrollment Conference is open for registration. The conference is being held from February 24-25 in Atlanta, GA.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: CSUSM Library is hiring a temporary (12-month) Assistant Librarian position to serve as the Open Educational Resources/Electronic Resource Management (OER/ERM) Librarian in CDA. The position is open until filled with a first review date of February 18th.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of Oklahoma Libraries is recruiting a Director of Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication. This position will lead a team supporting library programs and services in institutional repositories, library-based publishing, copyright in making and sharing scholarship, open access, and open education.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Mesa Community College, a Maricopa Community College, is hiring an Instructional Designer/Technologist. This position will work in consultation with faculty and other stakeholders on the instructional design/development of Z Degree/OER/Low-cost and culturally relevant online courses.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Penn State University Libraries has recently launched Repository of Open and Affordable Materials (ROAM). This is a newly expanded online publication service for openly licensed educational materials authored by Penn State faculty. Learning Design and Open Engagement Librarian, Bryan McGeary shares how “Open educational resources (OER), like those housed in ROAM, benefit students and faculty by providing free access to course materials and new opportunities for pedagogical innovation.” He also shares how “With the worldwide access that ROAM provides to Penn State OER, the University is poised to be an international leader in open and affordable education.” ROAM will include content from all disciplines and campuses across the University. Read More>>

FROM CALIFORNIA: Last summer, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $115 million commitment to expanding the zero textbook cost program for California’s community colleges. Marty Alvarado, Executive Vice Chancellor for Educational Services in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, shared how the system plans to release application materials to the 116 community colleges in CA by the end of this month and an initial wave of funding will start by next month. Alvarado explains how the past months have been spent trying to understand the legislation and how students can best benefit from this investment. Read More>>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

The University of Regina OER Program is pleased to announce the publication of the resource, Decolonization and Justice: An Introductory Overview. This open pedagogy resource was completed by Dr. Muhammad Asadullah and his students in an Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

Temple Libraries Aid in Efforts to Provide Affordable Course Materials | The Temple News

Open Educational Resources: More Accessible Knowledge for All | The Link

Interesting to Consider >>

Empowering College Students to be OER Creators and Curators | Faculty Focus

Administrators and Faculty Should Embrace Open Source Textbooks | The GW Hatchet

Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.

The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.

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