OER Digest – February 29, 2024
Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 179 | February 29, 2024
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
OPEN EDUCATION WEEK: Next week, from March 4th-8th, marks Open Education Week. Across the world, open education advocates will be hosting events and spreading awareness online about open educational resources. Join the conversation with hashtag #OEWeek and explore events that are taking place throughout the week by browsing the OE Week website.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The University of Central Florida has announced the addition of a Library Track to the second annual Teaching & Learning with AI (TLWAI) conference, to be held July 22-24, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. The call for proposals is now open and we invite academic librarians and library workers to submit a proposal to the Library Track. Example topics include using AI with open access and open educational resources. Submit a proposal here by March 17.
JOB OPPORTUNITY: Randall Library at the University of North Carolina Wilmington seeks an Open Knowledge and Research Impact Librarian to serve as the campus expert on open access, research impact, scholarly publishing, copyright and fair use, author rights, and open education. This is an 11-month non-tenure track special faculty position. Read more and apply here by March 6.
JOB OPPORTUNITY: The Utah State University Libraries seeks a collaborative, innovative and user-centered candidate for the position of Scholarly Communication Librarian to join a team supporting our communities in discovering, creating, and sharing knowledge. The position is a 12-month, tenure-track faculty appointment. Read more and apply here.
SURVEY: A new survey is collecting data for a study that focuses on developing advocacy and sustainability strategies for OER creators and librarians and is funded by an Affordable Learning Georgia Research Grant. This study is for academic librarians, faculty members, or other OER creators. Take the survey here.
CONFERENCE: University of San Diego's Copley Library is hosting the Ten-Year Anniversary of the Digital Initiatives Symposium on April 29-30 on campus. This two-day conference focuses on the digital elements of library ecosystems and features workshops and a variety of speakers. Register here.
CONFERENCE: Barnard College, New York University Libraries, Columbia University Libraries, The Cooper Union Library, and the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) are hosting the first annual STEM Information Professionals Mini Conference on March 14 and 15 at Barnard College in New York. Register here.
WEBINAR: Texas Digital Library and its TDL OER Users Group invite you to join their upcoming panel and discussion, “Support for the Solo Librarian” on March 27th. This informal discussion will focus on the challenges of sustaining open education initiatives in a solo role, and how to develop strategies for creating resilient OER programs by leveraging community support. Register here.
WEBINAR: A series of 15-minute presentations called Open Education Talks, focusing on open education in postsecondary institutions have been scheduled for the month of March. These talks aim to create an accessible, virtual space to engage in conversations about open education. This initiative has been developed in partnership with the University of Calgary, Thompson Rivers University, and the University of Alberta. Register here.
WEBINAR: DOERS3, SPARC, and NCOER have been holding conversations on whether we need a national open education strategy. This “Report Out” session will share the results from these conversations. The virtual event takes place on March 7th. Register here.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY: On February 23rd, the Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) sent a letter from 54 student organizations and more than 350 individual students urging the Department of Education to continue with its efforts to curb automatic textbook billing, including changing the Cash Management rule to make “Inclusive Access” programs “opt-in” for students. Some of these programs even bill students for using OER. The letter represented student voices across more than 20 states and 76 institutions. Learn more about the rule changes >>
FROM TEXAS: The University of Texas San Antonio Libraries received a $10,000 grant to develop further textbook affordability efforts after saving students over $10 million in six years through their Adopt-a-Textbook program. “One of the things that a lot of students are not aware of is that when they are registering for courses, we have filters for courses that use free textbooks and low-cost textbooks,” said Open Education Coordinator DeeAnn Ivie. The filter has been in place for seven years and has been required by state law as of 2017, though occasionally, faculty forget to report and mark their course as such. Read More>>
FROM NORTH CAROLINA: Bluford Library at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received a $31,902 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to support an OER syllabus review service. This service is designed to lower the cost of classes for N.C. A&T students and increase the use of high-quality OER within the university. “This grant has the potential to positively affect how institutions, students, and educators curate and engage in educational resources,” said cataloging and metadata librarian Franklin Robinson, principal investigator (PI). “By leveraging these resources, stakeholders in education can unlock financial savings, promote affordability and accessibility, as well as foster a more inclusive educational environment.” Read More>>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute has released Unlocking the Digital Age: The Musician's Guide to Research, Publishing, and Copyright, by Kathleen DeLaurenti and Andrea I. Copland. Based on coursework developed at the Peabody Conservatory, this book serves as a crucial resource for early career musicians navigating the complexities of the digital era.
The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) has released "Writing for Digital Media" by Cara Miller, Associate Professor and Director of the English Program at Anderson University. This open textbook, made possible through a Textbook Creation Grant from the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning program, addresses the evolving landscape of writing in the digital age.
Dr. Franco Pestilli at the University of Texas at Austin has recently published his open education project: Foundations of Psychological Data Science I. Dr. Pestilli’s project is a comprehensive course which “lays the foundation for data science education targeting psychological and brain science students'' The course utilizes python (though no prior coding experience is required) and Jupyter Notebooks, and includes examples, tutorials, and assignments for students.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Biden Administration Looks to Clamp Down on Inclusive Access | Inside Higher Ed
Unleashing the Potential of Culturally Relevant Learning with OER | New America
Pitt students launch textbook affordability campaign | Pittsburgh Post Gazette
College Students Deserve Better Textbook Options | Tap Into Newark
Z-Library Opens Access to Free Learning | Big News Network
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The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.