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.