OER Digest – February 4th, 2021

From Hailey Babb (SPARC) | Volume 122 | February 4th, 2021

THE OER DIGEST

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

OPEN EDUCATION WEEK: Open Education Week is a month away! Organized by Open Education Global and held from March 1-7, institutions, organizations and individuals from around the world committed to the ideals of Open Education are welcome to join and contribute. Participation is free, and there are many different ways to engage. Check out the OE Week page for more info and register your local event, and be sure to browse their library of OE Week resources that have been compiled over the years. We hope to (virtually) see you there!  Read more “OER Digest – February 4th, 2021” →

OER Digest- January 21, 2021

From Cailyn Nagle (PIRG) | Volume 121 | January 21st, 2021

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OPEN TEXTBOOK PILOT WINNERS ANNOUNCED: The U.S. Department of Education announced their fourth round of grants to support open textbook creation and adoption. The federal Open Textbook Pilot grant program continues to save students across the country millions and with the changes to the program, this year is set up to have the largest impact yet. Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Pilot- Read more “OER Digest- January 21, 2021” →

OER Digest – January 7th, 2021

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 120 | January 7th, 2021

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OPEN TEXTBOOK PILOT: Just before the end of the year, the U.S. Congress passed a comprehensive spending package that included renewal funding for the Open Textbook Pilot grant program for a fourth year! Congress matched last year’s investment with another $7 million, which will be awarded to higher education institutions for open textbook projects by September 30th. Under instructions from Congress, the Department of Education is expected to run a new competition following similar terms as the one run in 2020, including a 60 day application period and multiple awards. The renewal brings the total funding to $24 million for since 2018. Meanwhile, the Department has also completed its process for the previous round of funding and is expected to publicly announce the winners of the approximately $6 million in awards soon. Read more “OER Digest – January 7th, 2021” →

OER Digest – December 3rd, 2020

From Cailyn Nagle (PIRG) | Volume 118 | December 3rd, 2020

With updates from Kaitlyn Vitez

THE OER DIGEST

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U.S. FEDERAL UPDATE: Final negotiations for the Fiscal Year 2021 federal budget are underway in Congress ahead of the December 11th deadline to fund the government. House Democrats and Senate Republicans have both issued budget proposals that differ significantly, and failure to reach an agreement would have dire consequences. One bright spot, however, is that both have pencilled in renewed funding for the Open Textbook Pilot grant program, which is expected to announce its third round of funding later this month. Especially at a time when campuses are seeking to expand their digital programs, there is a need to develop high quality, flexible materials that students can access no matter where they are. Track the process of renewing funding here.  Read more “OER Digest – December 3rd, 2020” →

OER Digest – November 19th, 2020

From Hailey Babb (SPARC) | Volume 117 | November 19th, 2020

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COMBATTING SYSTEMIC RACISM: The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation has pledged $15M to groups working across a range of issues—from health to education to human rights—to advance racial justice by centering Black communities. “Realizing the potential of open education is only going to be possible to the extent that it roots out structural racism”, says Angela DeBarger, Education Program Officer at the Hewlett Foundation. “We must be more ambitious about dismantling racist policies, practices, and ideas through our work”. Read more “OER Digest – November 19th, 2020” →

OER Digest – November 5th, 2020

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 116 | November 5th, 2020

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OER & ONLINE LEARNING: ISKME has just released OER & Online Learning: Faculty Quick Start Guide, Strengthening the Shift to Online Learning in California Community Colleges Through the Use of OER. The guide is supported by a grant from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, to conduct a study and develop a set of resources to accelerate OER use for distance education, especially the urgent shift to remote learning during the pandemic in 2020. Tailored to faculty and campus administrators both in California, the Guide has the aim is to enable system-wide shifts to meet postsecondary institutions’ long term goals for distance learning, and faculty’s emergency plans for remote learning in response to the COVID-19 and potential future crises. Read more “OER Digest – November 5th, 2020” →

OER Digest – October 8th, 2020

From Cailyn Nagle (PIRG) | Volume 115 | October 8th, 2020

THE OER DIGEST

OPENED20: With the theme of “Reimagining Open Education” the 2020 Open Education Conference (#OpenEd20) is now open for registration. The conference is virtual this year and will take place from November 9-13th. Currently, the conference is being redesigned through community input. Early registration runs until October 30th. Scholarships are available. Read more “OER Digest – October 8th, 2020” →

OER Digest – September 24th, 2020

From Bilan Jama (CC USA)  | Volume 114 | September 24th, 2020

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APPLY NOW: The 2020 application period for the Open Textbook Pilot program is now open. The grant competition will award approximately $6 million in federal funds to higher education institutions to create or expand the use of open textbooks. This is a great opportunity to seek funding to support effective and impactful open education work. 

• Applications are due November 16, 2020. See the notice inviting applications for further instructions.
• U.S. institutions of higher education and state higher education agencies are eligible to apply.
• The maximum grant size is up to $2 million for a period of up to 36 months. 
• Grants are awarded on a competitive basis according to their score. A call for reviewers is also currently open.

Read more “OER Digest – September 24th, 2020” →

OER Digest – September 10th, 2020

From Mo Nyamweya | Volume 113 | September 10, 2020

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OPENSTAX MILESTONE: OpenStax has officially surpassed $1 billion in student savings since publishing their first open textbook in 2012. In just under a decade of operation, OpenStax has had a massive impact on teaching and learning, serving over 14 million students worldwide. They’ve also just announced that they have plans to double their library of open textbooks with $12.5 million in grant support from various national foundations, marking the largest investment in OER to date. Read more “OER Digest – September 10th, 2020” →

OER Digest – August 27th, 2020

From Cailyn Nagle and Kaitlyn Vitez (USPIRG) | Volume 113 | August 27th, 2020

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FEDERAL UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Education is seeking peer reviewers to read and evaluate grant applications for the Open Textbooks Pilot program. This pilot program supports projects at eligible institutions of higher education that create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks in courses that are part of a degree granting program, and particularly those with high enrollments. The program has been funded for two cycles already, each for $5 million dollars. The Department is interested in peer reviewers from various backgrounds and professions including: administrators, college and university faculty, educational strategists and evaluators, grant makers, and others with expertise in adult and postsecondary education, open educational resources and practices, work-based learning, and career and technical education. Check out the call for reviewers for more information and instructions on how to apply.  Read more “OER Digest – August 27th, 2020” →