Regular Edition
OER Digest – March 23rd, 2017
From Katie Steen (USPIRG) and Brady Yano (SPARC) | Volume 27 | March 23rd, 2017
With help from Erika Aparaka (CCSSO)
THE OER DIGEST
Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
HAPPY EARLY OPEN ED WEEK: On behalf of the OER Digest team, we wish everyone a happy 5th Open Education Week! Congratulations to everyone on their successes from this past year and we look forward to celebrating the week with you both online and in person. Follow all the events by searching #OpenEducationWk on Twitter.
ACRL OER PRECONFERNCE: Yesterday SPARC’s Nicole Allen and Open Textbook Network’s Sarah Cohen hosted an ACRL Preconference entitled “Running Effective OER and Open Textbook Initiatives in Your Academic Library.” The event had more than 70 participants in attendance who left the day long workshop ready to take action on their campuses! Check out the highlights on Twitter by searching #LibOER.
RECAP OF OE GLOBAL: OEGlobal 2017 featured over 111 sessions including 80 presentations, 14 action labs, 7 panel discussions, 1 flipped presentation and 9 poster presentations. The conference had a global reach with attendees from 38 countries. Presentations from the event are available here.
CANADIAN COLLABORATION: Recognizing the many benefits of collaboration in this space, Canadian organizations BCcampus and eCampusOntario are coming together to better support faculty and by extension students in the province of Ontario. Read more>>
STATE LEGISLATION UPDATE: A number of bills are moving through state legislatures across the country related to OER. A bill in Virginia was sent to the Governor that creates the Online Virginia Network Authority and requires the reduction of program costs through open access. Another bill was recently introduced in New Jersey requiring institutions of higher education to offer open textbooks.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
EVENT: In recognition of Open Education Week, SPARC is hosting a special webcast entitled “Successful OER Adoption Models: Academic Libraries Leading the Way” on March 29th from 2-3 EDT. https://sparcopen.org/event/successful-oer-adoption-models-academic-libraries-leading-way/
EVENT: BCcampus’ webinar series Open Education Stories from across B.C. continues with its third event, on March 29th, from 10-11 PST. https://open.bccampus.ca/2017/02/28/webinar-series-open-education-stories-from-across-b-c-unbc/
EVENT: Join Northern Virginia Community College’s Extended Learning Institute’s virtual conference NOVA Opens Up, March 27 – 31, 2017. https://www.openeducationweek.org/events/nova-opens-up
EVENT: Registration for #OER17: The Politics of Open closes soon! The conference will take place April 5-6 in London, UK https://oer17.oerconf.org/#gref
JOB: BCcampus is seeking an energetic and collaborative Open Education Advisor. Deadline to apply is March 29th. https://bccampus.ca/advisor-open-education/
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
A brief snapshot of those making change on the ground level, and those most impacted
FROM DC: “The costs of textbooks are unreal,” said Sydney Eskin. “GW is already interested in this, but it is our responsibility as student leaders to push it further. A lot of people don’t realize it’s an option.” Eskin added that while it may take some time to adjust, professors will be able to adapt and review textbooks for their students. Read more>>
FROM OKLAHOMA: “This is something I’ve had interest in recently,” SGA President Johnson said. “People at the library are interested in making this happen too, so hopefully a pilot program will be happening next year.” Johnson encouraged senators to contact him if they want to be involved in his meetings at the library because he will graduate before the program becomes a reality. “This really is a great cause, so I don’t just want to see it die when I graduate,” Johnson said. Read more>>
FROM IDAHO: “Advocating for our students is a natural role for librarians,” says Gaines. “In many cases, faculty members are unaware of just how expensive the books they select are…or how much of an impact a $200 book can have on an average student. Open educational resources…[n]ot only alleviate the financial burden on students but…provide flexibility and freedom for faculty.” Gaines’s passion for OER combines her belief in open access (OA) and her commitment to making education more affordable for all. Read more>>
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Textbook petting zoo today @NMC_library to show how $$$ books cost. Using #OER NMC faculty have saved student 481K so far! @OpenStax
SYLLABUS
Interesting Reads on Education and Open
Campaign Spotlights Global Open Education Movement | Campus Technology
Considering OER? Here’s What You Need To Know | eSchool News http://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/03/10/oer-6-things-know/
Lessons learned in accessibility through the BC Open Textbook Project | BCcampus
Open Educational Resources and School Librarians – The Right Fit! | Journal of the American Association of School Librarians
http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/open-educational-resources-school-librarians-right-fit/
Open Source Textbooks Could Save Students a Bundle | Southern Maryland Online
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2017/21753.php
Student Senate: Body will discuss opposing proposed textbook initiative | The Post
http://www.thepostathens.com/article/2017/03/student-senate-propsed-textbook-initiative
Textbooks Could Be History As Schools Switch To Free Online Learning | philly.com
What Trump’s Budget Outline Would Mean for Higher Ed | The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Trump-s-Budget-Outline/239511
USG’s textbook resolution passes in University Senate | thelantern
http://thelantern.com/2017/03/usgs-textbook-resolution-passes-in-university-senate/
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