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.

OER Digest – October 28, 2021

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 140 | October 28, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

OPEN ACCESS WEEK: This week, October 25-31 is Open Access Week! Open Access Week, a global event now entering its tenth year, is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of open access to scholarly research, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research. Follow the conversation online with hashtag #OAWeek.

FEDERAL OPEN TEXTBOOKS FUNDING: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, along with U.S. Senators Angus King, Tina Smith, and Krysten Sinema, announced last week the inclusion of $14 million for the Open Textbook Pilot Program in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. “Open textbooks are a proven way to save students money while providing quality instructional materials,” said Durbin. The bill awaits approval by both the House and Senate before it is officially signed into law.   Read More >>

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: 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. Faculty will work with OpenSkill to bundle active learning tools and curated OER to use as textbook replacements at scale. Read More >>

APPLY NOW: The University of Oklahoma Libraries is hiring an Open Educational Resources Librarian. The Open Educational Resources Librarian manages the Alternative Textbook Grant, which has saved students nearly $4M in displaced textbook costs since its inception, and otherwise works to increase students’ access to educational resources via creative and inclusive strategies. Apply Here >>

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM OREGON: Oregon State University has launched a new OER Commons collection which allows users to search by subject area and type of material, from openly licensed textbooks and interactive course modules to online labs and entire courses. Since 2019, Oregon State faculty have helped students save more than $7 million by assigning OER in their courses. “I’m a big proponent of open access to information in general,” said professor Marit Bovbjerg of Oregon State University, “not everyone is in a privileged position. Open access materials help to democratize knowledge.” Read More >>

FROM TEXAS: Texas A&M International University’s library launched a new website this week focusing on increasing access to academic research. The website launch coincides with Open Access Week and provides access to university theses and dissertations, faculty publications, white papers, datasets, teaching and learning resources, audio and visual recordings, OER, and more. Read More >>

FROM WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia University’s library system has selected three faculty members to receive OER grants. This year’s recipients are Erin Jordan from the College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences; Mandy Weirich from the School of Social Work; and Adrienne Williams from the Department of Biology at the WVU Institute of Technology. The aim of the grants is to encourage development of alternatives to high-cost textbooks, lower the cost of college attendance for students, and support faculty who wish to implement new pedagogical models for classroom instruction. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

University of Cape Town Professor Maria Keet of the Department of Computer Science has won the university’s Open Textbook Award for her “exemplary resource”, An Introduction to Ontology Engineering. It is her first open textbook, and a world-first textbook on the subject for computer scientists. The work was praised by the award committee for it’s “localisation, technical innovation, accessibility, and the integration of assessments and other ancillary components.” Read More >>

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Why OERs are a great first step towards education affordability | The Cavalier Daily

Going All in on OER | Faculty Focus

Interesting to Consider >> 

There’s What You Assign, and Then There’s What They Read | Inside Higher Ed

Faculty Awareness of OER Has Increased for 5 Years Straight, Yet Adoption Is Flat | Campus 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 – October 14, 2021

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 139 | October 14, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

INCLUSIVEACCESS.ORG: Last week 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 was developed by SPARC with generous support from the Michelson 20MM Foundation. Partners include AAC&U, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, CCCOER Creative Commons, DigiTex, ISKME, Student PIRGs, Open Education Global, and OpenStax. The initiative was covered in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

ALMOST HERE: The Open Education Conference (#OpenEd21) will be held virtually October 18-22nd. That’s next week! Check out these tips for getting the most out of this (and any) virtual conference, and note that registration is still available. 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: The Rebus Foundation is hiring a Project Evaluation Consultant to join their team. Deadline for applications is October 22nd. Learn more and apply here.

REGISTER NOW: Kennesaw State University is having their Open Access Week October 25th – 28th. See the complete list of events and register here.

APPLY NOW: Apply for the Certificate in OER Librarianship Program through the Open Education Network. Deadline for applications is November 28th, 11:59 pm CT. Learn more and apply here.

REGISTER NOW: Iowa OER Virtual Summit’s registration is open. This conference is free of cost and takes place March 1-3, 2022. Learn more and register here.   

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM ALABAMA: University Writing at Auburn University has launched a new OER that contains worksheets and handouts on numerous writing-focused topics, such as editing and proofreading, literature reviews and ePortfolios. Christopher Basgier, director of University Writing, expressed enthusiasm for the OER saying, “We have long been known locally and nationally for our high-quality ePortfolio resources. I am excited that our OER includes an expanded menu of materials, and that these materials are accessible for different users.” Read More >>

FROM ALBERTA:  Dr. John Scott, PhD, a German instructor in the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures (SLLLC) at the University of Calgary, is aiming to inspire a solution to a foreign language teaching challenge by creating OER as part of his 2021 Teaching and Learning Grants project, Teaching German Adjective Endings through Metaphorical Narrative Videos. “Adjective endings are notoriously difficult for students of German across North America. Our memorable and engaging videos will help these endings finally make sense to students. German teaching professionals everywhere will be able to use our videos freely in their classes under Creative Commons licence,” says Scott. Read More >>

FROM IDAHO: The Idaho Legislature and Governor Brad Little invested $1 million in Project Z-degree earlier this year as part of the governor’s “Building Idaho’s Future” initiative. The money will be used to help community college faculty who choose to participate in the effort transition their courses to zero-cost or very low-cost instructional materials such as OER. The goal is to launch Project Z-degree in time for the 2023 fall semester at all four of Idaho’s community colleges. “If you are a student, two years from now you will be able to earn either a liberal arts or a general studies associate’s degree without paying more than $30 for any textbook, and in most degree pathways, without paying anything for textbooks at all,” said TJ Bliss, the State Board of Education’s chief academic officer. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

Portland State University Library has released, Human Development by the Human Development Teaching and Learning Group. This open textbook is designed for Human Development, a core Psychology course. This course provides a bird’s eye view of major milestones and developmental tasks during each age period, starting at conception and ending with old age.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Education leaders work to make college more affordable with online resources instead of textbooks | WBIR

Advocating for more OER-friendly copyright regulatory frameworks | Mirage News

Interesting to Consider >> 

Do ‘Inclusive Access’ Textbook Programs Save Students Money? A New Site Urges Everyone to Read the Fine Print | The Chronicle of Higher Education

Open Educational Resources Benefit Or Boon? | Moreover 

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 – September 30, 2021

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 138 | September 30, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

OER INSTITUTE: A newly launched Institute on Open Educational Resources will support institutions and faculty in adopting OER. Some 66 institutions have joined the Institute on Open Educational Resources that will support educators in launching, expanding or hastening campus adoption of free and affordable instructional materials. The institute was launched by the Associated of American Colleges and Universities. University Business published an article this week on the institute and some of the colleges, such as Framingham State University in Massachusetts that are participating.

NEW CO-AUTHOR: Hello everyone! My name is Michael Basmajian and I am the National Administrator for the Student PIRGs. I’m excited to be joining as a co-author of the OER Digest! I got started with the PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) as a Campus Organizer in Massachusetts back in 2014, where I helped educate hundreds of faculty and students about open textbooks. I look forward to being more involved with the OER community!

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: The 2021 Open Education Conference (#OpenEd21) registration is open and the schedule is live. Held on October 18-22nd, the all-virtual event includes five days of engaging open education programming, networking opportunities, and social activities. Learn more and register here.

APPLY NOW: The Student PIRGs are hiring a full time campaign organizer to work on their Make Textbooks Affordable campaign. Learn more and apply here.

APPLY NOW: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is hiring an Open Education Librarian to join their User and Research Services team. Learn more and apply here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM NEBRASKA: The University of Nebraska Omaha’s library announced the second cohort of their Textbooks Mavericks initiative, which spotlights UNO faculty, staff, students, and donors who take significant actions to advocate for textbook affordability. The Fall 2021 honorees are members of the university’s School of Communication, who transitioned all sections of Public Speaking at UNO into a fully Open Educational Resources course. The transition into a fully OER course means that between 3,000 and 3,600 students will be impacted annually, saving students as much as $360,000. Read More >> 

FROM GEORGIA:  The UNG Press, a scholarly, peer-reviewed press and an extension of the University of North Georgia, celebrated their 10th anniversary and recent admission as an affiliate member of the Association of University Presses (AUP). UNG Press is the leader in OER and open textbooks in the state of Georgia and has published 16 open textbooks with nine more in progress. Corey Parson, managing editor of UNG Press, said the OERs and low-cost textbooks have saved students on average $5 million. Read More >> 

FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA: Over the last 18 months, five faculty from the University of Victoria in British Columbia were awarded OER grants to take teaching, learning and research resources in any medium––digital, print or otherwise––and transition them as open-access materials, replacing commercial textbooks. The university’s division of Learning, Teaching, Support and Innovation (LTSI), along with the campus Student Society and library, is spearheading the open education resources (OER) movement at the university by offering publishing assistance and OER start-up grants to faculty members on campus, and alleviating the financial pressure for students so they can focus on their studies. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

James Cook University released “A Long Goodbye: Ed and Mary’s Journey with Lewy Body Dementia”, a book centred around the touching journal of a husband, Ed, documenting his wife Mary’s rapid mental and physical decline after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD). It is the first book to be launched on JCU Library’s Pressbooks platform, a key element in the Library’s ongoing Open Education Initiative. 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Professors, look for more affordable textbook options | The Temple News

Letter: Rising textbook prices serve as a choke point for students’ success | The Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Opinion/Letter: Textbooks too costly; use technology instead | The Daily Progress

Interesting to Consider >>

How Open Educational Resources Can Boost Equity in the Wake of the Pandemic | Education Post

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.

inclusive access

OER Digest – September 16, 2021

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 137 | September 16, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

OPEN FOR ANTI-RACISM: Open Education Global has announced that the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), jointly with College of the Canyons, has received an additional two-year grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, to expand and extend the Open for Anti-Racism (OFAR) program supporting faculty in California Community Colleges. In the OFAR program, first piloted in spring 2021,. participating faculty learned about anti-racism, open educational resources, and open pedagogy in a course entitled Open for Anti-Racism. Ninety percent of participants indicated that their teaching practice improved. Faculty employed three key strategies: incorporating student  voices to include non-mainstream perspectives and points of view; co-create materials with students for an anti-racism module; integrating inclusive media (images, data, videos, podcasts, etc.) to illustrate and explicitly discuss racism, oppression, privilege, and healing.

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA REPORT: The University of Ottawa Open and Affordable Learning Materials Working Group, sponsored by the University Librarian and Vice-Provost, Knowledge Systems, the Vice-Provost of Academic Affairs, and the Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs, has published the Report and Recommendations for Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiatives and Affordable Alternatives at uOttawa. Created in late 2019, the working group has promoted the use of affordable course content; recommended strategies  in which the creation and adoption of OER is encouraged and rewarded at uOttawa; and coordinated efforts among key campus stakeholders who lead and support open education initiatives on campus. The report concludes twelve months of work and presents four categories of recommendations to guide open education and textbook affordability activities at uOttawa for the next five years. 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: The Michelson 20 Million Minds Foundation is offering a set of attendance scholarships for the Open Education Conference. Students, educators, nonprofit staff, and others working in the open space are encouraged to apply. Deadline for applications is September 27th. Learn more and apply here. 

SAVE THE DATE: COERLL (UT Austin) and OLRC (University of Kansas) will be hosting OER office hours this semester for language educators. These are recurring, informal, drop-in sessions taking place on Zoom, and the first one is on September 17th. COERLL and OLRC staff and OER experts will be available to answer questions about OER and talk about your open education projects and teaching. Learn more here.

SAVE THE DATE: Join the Southern Regional Education Board this February in Atlanta for the Open Educational Resources and Dual Enrollment: Making a Case for Student Success conference on the promise of OER in dual enrollment to increase equity, access and affordability for U.S. students in high school and college. Learn more here. 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM ARKANSAS: Five new open educational resources created by University of Arkansas faculty are being used this semester in U of A courses. These projects were funded by the Open Educational Resources Course Materials Conversion Program, a joint effort between the University Libraries and the Global Campus. “The University Libraries’ ongoing partnership with the Global Campus is essential to supporting these faculty-produced open educational resources,” said Jason Battles, dean of University Libraries. “These resources provide a valuable cost savings to our students, so it’s important that we continue to encourage OER creation and usage on campus.” Read More >>

FROM MASSACHUSETTS: A $440,000 federal grant is helping Northern Essex Community College in its efforts to make classes more affordable and inclusive by encouraging the use of OER. “This grant is focused on creating and adapting OER for high-enrollment programs that are both free to students and culturally relevant,” says Sue Tashjian, the college’s coordinator of instructional technology and co-chair of the Massachusetts OER Advisory Council. The college is part of a consortium of Massachusetts colleges that received a three-year federal grant. Called Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens, the grant helps faculty and librarians create and adapt OER materials that are accessible, intentionally inclusive and representative of the student population. Read More >>

FROM NORTH CAROLINA: UNC’s chapter of The North Carolina Public Interest Research Group (NCPIRG), a nonpartisan student activist group, is working to decrease the textbook financial burden on students. In the spring, NCPIRG’s campaign gained around 300 teacher signatories in support of a textbook affordability statement. Over the summer, NCPIRG concentrated on encouraging all professors to employ a tool on ConnectCarolina that allows them to note the costs of textbooks and materials for their courses. This feature was added for spring course registration along with other features detailing modes of instruction and other course information. “The use of this feature is up to the discretion of each professor,” UNC Media Relations Manager Pace Sagester said in an email statement. “Students with questions regarding a course are encouraged to contact their professor.” NCPIRG plans to educate professors on how to update their course information to include the tool. Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

Iowa State University Digital Press has released Teaching Math for Emergent Bilinguals: Building on Culture, Language, and Identity by Ji-Yeong I and Ricardo Martinez. This book is designed for pre-service/in-service teachers and others who will work or work with K–12 students who have linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, especially students of other languages (English language learners/Emergent bilingual/multilingual). 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

5 Websites to Download Free Textbooks | MakeUseOf

Bay View Analytics to Present at Multiple Upcoming Conferences on Online Learning Research | Yahoo Finance 

What UM is doing to support open educational resource uptake | UM Today

Interesting to Consider >> 

High-impact practices help community, technical college students excel | The Tennessean

Updated COVID-19 vaccination rates and enrollment figures shared with UofL’s Faculty Senate | UofL News 

Welcome to the Open Education Leadership Program 2021-2022 Fellows! | SPARC

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 – September 2, 2021

From Aishah Abdullah  | Volume 136 | Date September 2, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

CALIFORNIA’S OER INVESTMENT: After California passed its $115 million investment in developing Zero Textbook Cost degree pathways, 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. James Glapa-Grossklag, a dean at the college, estimated that by offering the choice of OER in some courses, the community college saves students about $5 million in textbook costs per year. Compton Community College has made an even bolder goal and shared that by 2035 they plan for 100% of their courses to use OER. This would eliminate student spending on textbooks.

TENURE & PROMOTION RESOURCE: A working group from the Iowa Open Education Action Team (Iowa OER) has developed a new resource titled “Open Education in Promotion, Tenure, and Faculty Development.” This resource assists faculty and staff to advocate for themselves and others when it comes to the inclusion of open educational practices (OEP) in promotion, tenure, and faculty evaluation practices at their institutions. The resource builds upon the OER in Tenure & Promotion Matrix published by DOERS3.

DRAFT STRATEGIC VISION: Earlier this year, the Open Education Conference launched a strategic planning process to chart a vision for its future as a sustainable, community-owned event. The first major output of this process is the draft Strategic Vision. All members of the broader open education community and the general public are invited to share input on the draft Strategic Vision between now and September 3rd. You can comment on the draft through google docs, on the webpage using Hypothes.is, or email comments@openeducationconference.org.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: Register for the webinar “Let’s Get Creative about Licensing” where you can learn the fundamentals of what you need to know when choosing a license. The webinar is taking place on September 9th. Learn more and register here. 

REGISTER NOW: Register for the virtual Open Education Policy Forum conference. It is a space created to bring together stakeholders to exchange good practices and discuss challenges. The conference is taking place September 15-16. Learn more and register here. 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Salt Lake Neighborhood School is hiring a part-time Open Instructional Assets & IR Specialist. Learn more and apply here. 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Kansas State University is hiring a Scholarly Communication/Open Educational Resources Librarian. Learn more and apply here. 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM WISCONSIN: Chippewa Valley Technical College has saved students over $1 million in textbook costs during the 2020-21 school year. These savings come from their new affordable learning program, which has resulted in many instructors switching their courses from traditional textbooks to OER. Over 4000 students had at least one course with no textbook cost resulting in an average student saving approximately $246. The director of library services shares how, “We know that parts of Eau Claire and Chippewa counties are experiencing disproportionately higher poverty rates than the rest of Wisconsin. Using OER instead of high-cost textbooks has been a big win for our students who are often hit hardest. Read More >>

FROM ARKANSAS: The University of Arkansas created five video open educational resources focused on creating cultural competency. The aim of these resources was to encourage a more culturally aware and competent campus. The resource includes the voices of former students and student leaders from across the campus. They share their insights into cultural competency and the need for cultural acceptance in their communities. These resources were made with a grant from the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center. Read More >>

FROM TEXAS: The Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas has released the second case study in its new series Best Practices in Texas Digital Higher Education. Creating and Adopting Open Educational Resources at Colleges and Universities Across the State highlights exemplary practitioners of Open Education in Texas, including at the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Houston College of Medicine, Houston Community College, Alvin Community College, and Midland College. Based on interviews with creators of the resources, the case study delves into more detail on projects on which these innovators presented at Open Texas 2021. 

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

The Open Education Initiative of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech has released, Aerodynamics and Aircraft Performance, 3rd edition by James F. Marchman III. This resource provides coverage of basic, subsonic, aircraft performance preceded by an introduction to the basics of aerodynamics that will provide a background sufficient to the understanding of the subjects to be studied in aircraft performance.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

We Need to Help Students Overcome their Textbook Troubles | THE Campus

Interesting to Consider >> 

Researchers Assess Whether Open Educational Resources Improved Biology Instruction | UMaine News

Open Educational Resources: The Story of Change and Evolving Perceptions | Open Research Community

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 – August 5, 2021

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 135 | August 5, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

CALIFORNIA PROVIDES MONEY FOR OER:  In late July, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a monumental $115 million investment in developing Zero Textbook Cost degree pathways that eliminates 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.

NEW TOOL HELPS LEADERS LEVERAGE OER TO ADVANCE EQUITY: From WCET Frontiers – The DOERS3 Collaborative Equity Work Group created the Equity Through OER Rubric, a comprehensive self-assessment tool designed to guide students, faculty, administrators, and other academic leaders toward better understanding and also acting on the equity dimensions of OER. With members from the university and community college systems in Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Texas and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the creators of the Blueprint tapped into a diverse range of identities, perspectives, and institutional roles to develop guidance on how to apply an equity lens to all aspects of OER engagement.

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

APPLY NOW: Open Oregon Educational Resources is hiring a Grant Project Manager for a grant-funded, two-year position. Learn more and apply for this position here. 

CALL FOR ENTRIES: The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Library Publishing Special Interest Group (LibPub SIG) are seeking submissions for its 9th annual Library Publishing Directory. Submissions are due by Monday, September 13th. Learn more here. 

APPLY NOW: Scholarships are available for the 2021 Open Education Conference. Anyone for whom cost is a barrier is encouraged to apply by August 13th for priority consideration. (Registration is also open for $75 USD or $25 USD for students.)

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM IOWA: Five Cornell College professors have been awarded a total of $32,250 in grants to create and use OER in upcoming classes. Consulting Librarian for Social Sciences & Special Collections Meghan Yamanishi helped guide this grant effort. She says the funding originated from COVID relief funds and had a quick turnaround that required faculty to write their proposals in just a couple of weeks. “I’m thrilled many of our faculty members received funding! Open Educational Resources are an important strategy for reducing the cost of college attendance, and reducing the financial stress that students experience–at Cornell,  that’s eight times a year,” Yamanishi said. “This, in turn, can improve student success and equity, by helping to ensure that all students can access class materials from the very first day of the block.”  Read More >>

FROM MASSACHUSETTS: A consortium of colleges led by Framingham State University, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, has received a $440,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education for a new project that aims to boost the number of college courses that make use of OER rather than costly textbooks. Staff will receive monetary incentives and professional development to engage in this work. Framingham State estimates that student savings on textbooks over the three-year grant period could be more than $800,000. “When students have the ability to have textbooks immediately and don’t have to worry about purchasing them, they can apply that money they were going to spend on a $100 textbook on their cell phone, they can pay their rent, and they’ll have that textbook (on) day one,” said Millie Gonzalez, the interim director of Framingham State University’s Whittemore Library.  Read More >>

FROM NEW YORK: SUNY Canton faculty members have helped students save an estimated $1,072,840 in three years by using OER with the Southworth Library. “Even students who plan ahead and save money for college can find themselves in the difficult position of trying to pay for their textbooks,” said Library Director Cori Wilhelm. “Every time a faculty member decides to switch to OER, it makes classes more affordable and broadens access to our academic programing.” SUNY Canton is part of a SUNY-wide OER initiative that began in 2018. During the first year, SUNY Canton students saw an estimated savings of $140,440. During the 2019-2020 academic year, the savings more than doubled to an estimated $394,419. During 2020-2021, the estimate increased to $537,981. “We found that OER use grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote learning,” Wilhelm said. “During the past year, 4,445 students enrolled in 211 course sections using OER.” Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

BCcampus has released Principles of Social Psychology – 1st International Edition by Rajiv Jhangiani,  Hammond Tarry, and Charles Stangor. This book helps students organize their thinking about social psychology at a conceptual level.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Removing Educational Barriers, Especially High Textbook Costs | Los Angeles Sentinel 

Interesting to Consider >> 

A Spotlight on Our Open Educational Resources Spark Grantees | Michelson 20MM 

New California Law Pours Money Into Open Educational Resources | EdWeek Market Brief

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 – July 22, 2021

From Aishah Abdullah (SPARC)  | Volume 134  | Date July 22, 2021

With Updates from Cailyn Nagle

THE OER DIGEST

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

SIGNING OFF (digest co-author Cailyn Nagle): Hello community and thank you for everything! At the end of July, I will be moving on from my position as the Affordable Textbooks Campaign Director with US PIRG and onto new projects within the open textbooks space. It has been a real honor and privilege to work alongside the entire open community and I am thrilled to continue to do so in new ways. If you need to reach me, feel free to do so over email (cailyn.nagle@gmail.com) or over Twitter (@CailynNagle). I’m sure I’ll see y’all soon. 

UCT ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL: University of Cape Town (UCT) is launching an online high school in January 2022. This high school will be using only  OER for their courses which will allow learning materials to be open to the public, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the program. This will not only benefit students in South Africa but high schoolers across the globe who can access the curriculum. UCT shares how “The full curriculum of the UCT High School will be available as an open education resource throughout South Africa. This means learners will have free access to a self-paced curriculum where they can progress at their own pace.”

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: A call for papers has opened for the Journal for Multicultural Education. The submission should be focused on the intersections of open educational practices and equity pedagogy. Learn more and submit here. 

REGISTER NOW: Michigan OER Virtual Summit’s registration is open. This conference is free of cost and takes place on August 11th and 12th. Learn more and register here.    

REGISTER NOW: Southern Regional Education Board is hosting a webinar “Equitable Access and College Affordability” on July 28th which will explore how the use of open educational resources in dual enrollment can open pathways to postsecondary education for minority and low-income students. Learn more and register here. 

REGISTER NOW: BCcampus is hosting a webinar on learning how to use Pressbooks to create and share OER. This webinar will be taking place on August 25th. Learn more and Register Here. 

APPLY NOW: The Student PIRGs is seeking a Higher Education Campaign Associate. This two-year DC-based program emphasizes hands-on training and leadership development, giving staff the opportunity to make a tangible impact on critical issues while gaining real-world skills. Please indicate your interest in the Higher Education Associate Position on your cover letter. Learn more and apply here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: The Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Anthropology was awarded a grant of $10,700 to assist in implementing OER in their courses. The funding will be used to create OER for introductory anthropology courses. One course, Contemporary Anthropology, enrolls nearly 1000 students a year and will assist in saving these students a substantial amount of money. Dr. Ben Ford, chairperson of the IUP Department of Anthropology shares how, “This grant is indicative of the student-focused work that my colleagues do every day. I’m really proud of how everyone came together on this project.” Read More >>

FROM TENNESSEE: Columbia State Community College (CSCC) has been awarded $60,000 in funding to implement OER in courses that use commercially published textbooks. This grant will be used for transforming some of their film and world literature classes. Columbia State has received funding for Introduction to Film and Modern World Literature grant projects. Dr. Stuart Lenig, a professor at CSCC, shared how, “The grant will allow us to create a text for the Introduction to Film class that studies the origins, history, business, technology, trends, genres, and ideologies.” Pilot courses utilizing these new open educational resources will be offered beginning in the spring 2022 semester. Read More >>

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Immaculata University Textbook Affordability Initiative will be launching ten courses that utilize OER this fall. These courses serve several majors and are requirements for many students.  Angela Tekely, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost states “The impact of the shift to zero-cost textbooks within the ten courses will have a measurable and positive effect on students.” With the start of this initiative, the university aims to increase the usage of OER courses by targeting core courses and courses required across several majors and within popular majors. The grant comes from PA GOAL (Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning) which is a program that funds efforts of creating, adapting, and adopting OER at higher education institutions.  Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

The University of Edinburgh has released Forces Fiona Asks About Gravity by Amy Cook. This resource is a video paired with activity pages that can be used as a teaching resource to give young students a better understanding of basic physics. 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Recognizing and Overcoming Obstacles: What It Will Take to Realize the Potential of OER | Educause Review

Interesting to Consider >> 

How Today’s Curriculum Content Must Change | MarketScale 

OER May be Free but You Still Need to Invest to Use Them | World Bank Blogs

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 – July 8th, 2021

From Cailyn Nagle (PIRG)  | Volume 133 | July 8, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

OER ACCESSIBILITY EVALUATION RUBRIC: Affordable Learning Georgia released a rubric to help faculty, librarians, course designers, and other open education stakeholders to evaluate the accessibility of the open materials they are using or creating. The rubric contains three sections- open access, digital access, and pedagogical access. Individuals using the rubric will also have the option to share their results openly allowing other educators to benefit from their results. Affordable Learning Georgia also has resources available for those who want to make their materials more accessible. Read more “OER Digest – July 8th, 2021” →

OER Digest – June 24, 2021

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 132 | June 24, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

IDAHO POLICY: On June 16, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a new policy related to OER. The board’s goal is to make faculty aware of all the lower cost and open resources that are available so they can design their courses with affordability in mind. This policy was developed through extended consultation with faculty and academic leaders from all institutions in the state. “In a survey we did, we had 471 of our faculty respond when we asked if they were using OER in their courses and they commented that there were 600 courses that they taught that 25,000 students took where the cost of materials was less than $10,” said President of the State Board of Education Kurt Liebich. “That’s just a huge issue and a huge win for the students of Idaho that they can choose courses that are more affordable for them.” Read more “OER Digest – June 24, 2021” →