OER Digest – November 11, 2021

 

From Aishah Abdullah (SPARC) | Volume 141 | November 11, 2021

 

THE OER DIGEST

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

OPENED CONFERENCE UPDATE: Next week, the Open Education Conference will announce a community election process for the formation of a twelve-member Board of Directors. The newly formed Board of Directors will take over from the current Steering Committee in January 2022 to guide the conference’s future as a sustainable, fully community-owned event. In next week’s announcement, you will find full details of the election process and timeline, including a description of board member responsibilities, how to self-nominate, and how to vote. To receive updates directly, sign up to the conference mailing list. 

OE GLOBAL AWARD WINNERS: The Open Education Global have announced the winners for their annual Open Education Awards of Excellence. There are several different categories, from individual awards to open practices awards. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of these awards and there will be a closing ceremony held on December 7th to celebrate the winners. 

 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: SPARC has an opening on their team for an Open Education Project Manager. This position will spearhead key parts of SPARC’s advocacy work for open and equitable course materials in higher education. 

WEBINAR: The US Department of Education and ISKME are hosting a virtual convening on December 10th focused on fostering knowledge of OER. Learn more here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Rethink Learning Design Project is looking for submissions for their new open resource. They are seeking textual or video/audio contributions. Brief proposals are due by November 29th and you can submit them here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: OTESSA Conference is accepting submissions to present. The conference is centered on technology and openness across K12, post-secondary, and other relevant sectors where learning and knowledge sharing are required. Learn more and apply here. 

 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM MISSISSIPPI: Dr. Ashley Craig Lancaster teaches American Literature I at Itawamba Community College and will be transitioning the course to use OER with assistance from the William-Flora Hewlett Foundation grant. Lancaster shares how “ICC is dedicated to helping its students succeed in class, so I’m trying to do my part by making classes more affordable while still maintaining high-quality instruction.” This change is projected to save students money and also increase engagement and learning. Read More>>

FROM MICHIGAN: The Grand Valley State University student government has made OER a focus point for their advocacy. These students have begun collecting data related to OER usage and have also created a workshop for the Student Senate to understand how OER can positively impact their campus. Student Senator Chrystina Ochsankehl helped lead these workshops and shared how, “Sometimes when I’m looking for books for my classes, I wait for weeks to get them because they’re not in stock. Comparatively, for OER, you get access to your textbooks immediately.” Student leaders share how students are negatively impacted by expensive textbooks on campus and are hoping that by utilizing OER, it can improve the student experience.  Read More>>

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

Auburn University Department released a new OER. This resource provides several writing resources, specifically for introductory college courses. These resources include assignments and exercises to help students improve their writing skills.

 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Expand Open Access Education for College Students | Daily Hampshire Gazette

Interesting to Consider >> 

Lawmakers Eye Expanding Electronic Open Source Access to Combat College Textbook Costs | Florida Politics

Get Private Companies Out of Education | UMass Media

What if Free Online Courses Weren’t Inside Walled Gardens | 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.