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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.”

 Read More >>

 

FROM  VIRGINIA: University of Virginia students who are a part of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) are working to bring OER to the school. “UVA Library has been partnering with PIRG in our growing Open Educational Resource initiative. Our goals have been to raise awareness on grounds about increasing cost of textbook prices and unequitable publishing models, as well as educate undergraduates about OERs- meaning accessible, free, retainable, and reusable course materials that could provide as alternative or supplemental options to students”, Undergraduate Student Success Librarian, Haley Gilligan said. While UVA educators are being asked to make their own course materials for students, PIRG is asking the university to help incentivize this for professors and cut out time for them to work on their OER. Read More >> 

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

 

The Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas (DigiTex) is pleased to announce the publication of OERigin Stories: Pathways to the Open Movement, by DigiTex Associate Director Ursula Pike. Published in Pressbooks, OERigin Stories explores the history of six women of color working in the Open Education movement. Pike created the project as part of SPARC’s Open Education Leadership Program. 

 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

 

Great to Share >> 

 New Open Research Toolkit now available online | Illinois State University News

 

Correll and Mickelson receive fifth Open Educator Award | University of Colorado Boulder

 

Interesting to Consider >> 

KY Schools Prefer Digital, Open Resources to Textbooks | Government Technology

 

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.

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.

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.

OER Digest – January 27, 2022

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 145 | January 27, 2022

 

THE OER DIGEST

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

 

OER IN COVID RELIEF: The U.S. Department of Education released new guidance for the use of COVID emergency funds allocated to colleges and universities under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The Department’s FAQ document outlines a set of activities that are considered allowable uses of HEERF dollars, and OER is explicitly mentioned as one of the strategies to meet students’ basic needs during the pandemic. Some institutions have already invested COVID relief funds in OER programs, and the Department’s explicit guidance opens the door for more efforts to leverage OER as a strategy to ensure all students have access to course materials. Read More>> 

 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

 

REGISTER NOW: A three-part Equity in Open Webinar series is being hosted by OpenStax and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education from January 26- February 10th. Each webinar will focus on broadening our understanding of equity within different facets of Open Education and provide tangible action steps we can take to further equity in Open. Learn more and register here. 

 

REGISTER NOW: Transforming Workforce Programs with OER and Open Practices is being hosted by the Community College Consortium for OER (CCOER) from Feb 9, 12pm-1:00 pm PT. Learn more and register here. 

 

REGISTER NOW: Putting Anti-Racism to Practice in Peer-Review, a workshop co-sponsored by the Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ), Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) and Open Education Network (OEN) on February 15, 12pm-1:30 pm PT. Learn more and register here. 

 

DEADLINE EXTENDED: OpenSkill is supporting institutions to implement high quality OER, and providing up to $10,000 in grant funding, through the spring, summer, and fall of 2022. The team at Arizona State University will be providing services ranging from technology integration to learning design to course development in LMSs. Applications will now be accepted until January 31st at 5pm PT. Learn more and apply here.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus, seeks a Digital Scholarship Librarian to coordinate efforts related to current and emerging research methods, including data visualization, text analysis, and computational research platforms at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library.

 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The Albert B. Alkek Library at Texas State University is seeking applicants for the position of Undergraduate Open Education Resources Librarian. Learn more and apply here.

 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The University of Oklahoma Libraries is looking to hire an individual to serve as the Director of Open Initiatives & Scholarly Communication. Learn more and apply here. 

 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Seeking submissions for the Indigenous Knowledges and Open Education Edited Volume. Many conversations around open education focus on a Eurocentric framework of copyright and intellectual property rights that are sometimes in tension with Indigenous knowledge systems, and the goal of this volume is to center Indigenous ways of knowing, culture, experiences, and worldviews within the work of open education pedagogy and advocacy work. Proposals are due March 15.

 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

 

FROM IDAHO: In 2018, Associate Professor of Spanish, Kelly Arispe was working with Idaho educators and realized that when districts were unable to afford textbook licenses, teachers were no longer getting access to the quality curricula for their students. Fortunately, Boise State researchers across campus work to create OER. One project called The Pathways Project, led by Arispe and Co-director Amber Hoye, works with faculty, K-12 teachers, and 72 interdisciplinary Boise State students to create a repository that is currently home to more than 700 high-quality, editable digital materials for 10 world languages and cultures. Now, with a $100k two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Arispe and her team of researchers will work with three user groups of rural and urban teachers from across Idaho to give them the training and confidence to both use and create OER that integrate a wide array of digital humanities content. Read More >>

 

FROM NEVADA: The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) is working to make higher education more affordable, so students in the freshman seminar in the College of Liberal Arts now have the opportunity to save $80 each by downloading the required textbook for free. Denise Tillery, associate dean for students and professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts at UNLV, said the cost of textbooks can be a significant barrier for many low-income students. “A lot of times, students will have to wait until their financial aid has been disbursed, or even then they can’t afford it,” Tillery observed. “Or they’re scrambling around getting used copies that might be a different edition than the one that’s being used in the classroom.” Collectively, the 375 students taking the class will save about $30,000. The average full-time undergraduate at UNLV spends more than $1,200 a semester on books.  Read More >>

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

 

Milne Open Textbooks has published Gendered Lives: Global Issues written by Nadine T. Fernandez and Katie Nelson. This textbook takes a regional approach to examine gender issues from an anthropological perspective with a focus on globalization and intersectionality. 

 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

 

Great to Share >> 

 

Colleges can spend $198M in new relief funding on basic needs | EdScoop

 

The Open University’s Free Learning Site Turns 15 and Reaches 100m Visitors | Business News

Wales

 

Interesting to Consider >> 

 

Colleges can spend $198M in new relief funding on basic needs | Observer Research Foundation 

 

How college students can combat the pricey foe of textbook affordability | The State News 

 

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.

OER Digest – December 16, 2021

From Aishah Abdullah (SPARC)  | Volume 143 | December 16, 2021

THE OER DIGEST – A YEAR IN REVIEW

A look back at the big updates of 2021

STATES PROVIDE MONEY FOR OER: In July, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a monumental $115 million investment in developing Zero Textbook Cost degree pathways that eliminate course material costs through OER and other no-cost materials. The funding is dedicated to the California Community College system, which serves 2.1 million students per year. The funding will support grants to scale up the successful ZTC pilot that concluded in 2019, with additional funds available to develop OER for individual courses. Some California colleges are making news for their goals to substantially shift away from traditional textbooks and adopt more OER. College of the Canyons aims to have at least one-third of their courses use OER within the next two years and Compton Community College has made an even bolder goal and shared that by 2035 they plan for 100% of their courses to use OER. Other states with significant OER policies or investments this year include Colorado, Idaho, and Texas. The U.S. federal government also continues to invest in the Open Textbook Pilot grant program, which funded nine new projects this year.

OPEN EDUCATION CONFERENCE EVOLUTION: The last two years have marked an important transition for one of the open education community’s largest events. Since 2020, the Open Education Conference has been governed by a Steering Committee and four-organization partnerships. With the two-year commitment coming to an end the conference is undergoing the transition of a new community elected board. The 2021 Open Education Conference took place October 18-22 and was a virtual, community-run event. The conference had over 1,800 participants from more than 60 countries and all 50 U.S. states. The program consisted of more than 250 sessions Keep updated via the mailing list to see where the conference is headed.

THE FACTS ON INCLUSIVE ACCESS: October marked the launch of InclusiveAccess.org, a community-driven initiative to raise awareness of the facts about automatic textbook billing. InclusiveAccess.org is a one-stop-shop for information, tools, and other resources to help administrators, faculty, students, and policymakers make informed decisions about the Inclusive Access sales model and its implications for the campus community—including how it differs from OER. The initiative is supported by a coalition of organizations and was covered in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

OE GLOBAL AWARDS TURN 10: The Open Education Global have announced the winners for their annual Open Education Awards of Excellence. There are four different categories: UNESCO OER Implementation Award, Open Assets Award, Open Practices Awards, and Individual Awards. Several advocates were congratulated for their tremendous work in the open space. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of these awards and a closing ceremony was held on December 7th to celebrate the winners. 

RENEWED PLEDGE FOR #GOOPEN: The #GoOpen initiative launched several new opportunities for K-12 educators, district leaders, and state leaders interested in advancing open education to get involved. The U.S. Department of Education, together with ISKME, launched the #GoOpen Pledge of Support and held a virtual convening in December. #GoOpen was launched in 2015 to support states and districts choosing to transition to the use of openly licensed educational resources.

 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: OER 22 call for proposals is now open. The conference will be a hybrid event that will take place in April 2022. The deadline to submit is February 10, 2022. 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Missouri Affordable and Open Education Resources Conference has opened their call for proposals. The conference is taking place virtually from March 9-11, 2022. The deadline to submit is February 1, 2022. 

REGISTER NOW: Registration for the 2022 Arizona Regional OER Conference is open. Registration is free and the event will be held virtually. The date of the conference is March 3-4, 2022.

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Creative Commons is seeking to hire a Campaign Manager who will assist in planning and creating materials for a 4-year global campaign to open climate change and biodiversity research. The deadline to apply is January 4, 2022. 

 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM WISCONSIN: Lakeshore Technical College has saved students one million dollars through their Textbook Affordability Program. Currently, 73 courses utilize OER and range from a variety of subjects such as human resources, chemistry, and animal science. These resources are not only more affordable but also are completely digital. This makes learning materials more accessible since the college has a program for students without computers or internet access the ability to rent laptops and hotspots for free.  Read More >>

FROM ALABAMA: Coastal Alabama Community College will be offering an African American History course in 2022. These courses came to fruition as administrators and faculty worked hard to implement an accurate, affordable course. To make the class as relevant as possible, the class will use open educational resources that will be highly localized to Alabama. Marcus Gordon, chairperson for the History, Political Science and Geography department, shares “Now they’ll have the opportunity to recognize names they might even be related to, and places they’ve seen throughout their lives.” Read More >> 

FROM MINNESOTA: Minnesota West Community & Technical College has received a state grant that will pay instructors to find no-cost teaching material. The goal is to eventually create Z-degrees which will save students money since they will not have to pay for any textbooks for their degree. The dean of liberal arts, Kayla Westra, shares “Finding ways to make college more affordable for students is critical.” Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

The University of West Florida has published their first OER titled Medical Terminology for Health Professions by Andrea Nelson and Katherine Greene. This resource explores breaking down, pronouncing, and learning the meaning of medical terms within the context of introductory anatomy and physiology. 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Growing Importance of Online Only Education Materials for Higher Education | Open Research Community

Open Course Materials in Cougar ROAR | University of Houston Libraries

Interesting to Consider >> 

Open Texts and Student Success | Moscow-Pullman Daily News

To Save its Campus Bookstore this University Took it Online | 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.