From Mo Nyamweya, SPARC | Volume 111 | July 30, 2020

THE OER DIGEST

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

SUPPORT OER: The Steering Committee of DOERS3, a collective of 23 higher education systems and state/province-wide OER initiatives in the U.S. and Canada, released a statement urging higher education institutions to accelerate their adoption of high-quality OER this summer and fall. The statement outlines the advantages of OER over traditional textbooks in the COVID-19 learning environment and calls on senior officials to take action by positioning OER as the “first option,” developing OER strategic plans, and providing financial support. 

RESEARCH METHODS: GO-GN, the Global OER Graduate Network, released a Research Methods Handbook aimed at newer open education researchers and those starting out on their doctoral projects. The Handbook presents an overview of scientific methodology for open research and features contributions by 28 network members who are doctoral or postdoctoral researchers working in the field of open education. GO-GN also hosted a webinar on research methods earlier this year.

HEY OPENED! It’s official – the 2020 Open Education Conference will take place as a virtual event on November 9 – 13, 2020. Organized through a community-driven planning process, the conference welcomes all who are interested in sharing and learning about OER, open pedagogy, and open education initiatives. More information on the save the date is available here, and stay tuned for more information on registration and the call for proposals. Follow along at #OpenEd20 and @HeyOpenEd.

 

OPEN CONNECTIONS

Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

REGISTER NOW: The Student Government Resource Center, a project of the Student PIRGs, is holding a free workshop for student leaders focused on the basics of campaign planning and design. This workshop will use a case study of an open textbook initiative to illustrate key concepts. While targeted for student government leaders, the training is open to all students taking on a leadership role on campus. The first half of this two-part series will be held on Tuesday August 4th at 4:00 EST. Learn more and register here.

REGISTER NOW: The Open Education Conference Steering Committee will be having a conference community call Friday, August 21, 2020 at 1:00 EST. Please register here.

APPLY NOW: Atla has launched a new pilot program to support the creation of open educational resources (OER) for courses in theology and religious studies. Click here for more information. 

APPLY NOW: BCcampus is seeking proposals for grants to develop OER and open online courses. Click here for more information on eligibility and how to apply.

 

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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

FROM CALIFORNIA: Humboldt State University (HSU) received a $15,000 grant to support their OER program. The grant will facilitate adoption and OER research while also supporting faculty and lecturer training. HSU’s OER program has already saved students $1 million in textbooks and over $1.3 million in various course materials. “Open Educational Resources, in addition to the HSU Library’s textbook rental program, helps students get the educational materials they need to succeed as well as their basic needs to thrive,” said Kyle Morgan, scholarly communications librarian. Read more >>

FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Penn State University’s OPEN.ED, a website hosting high-quality learning materials, saw a surge of interest in March as a result of the switch to remote learning. The website was created through Penn State’s OER initiative launched in 2007, and now offers more than 80 courses spanning over 1,715 topics. “We’ve always had great content, and we wanted to create a system that allows users from around the world to easily search and access that content,” said Jennifer Babb, a learning designer in the Dutton Institute who worked on the website. Read more >>

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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

Chippewa Valley Technical College recently published Nursing Pharmacology, an open textbook designed for entry-level undergraduate nursing students. The material explains basic concepts of pharmacology and describes common medication classes. The book is available for download in multiple formats, but the online version is required for interaction with the adaptive learning activities included in each chapter.

 

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >> 

Grant allows instructors to create affordable class materials | The Daily Evergreen

Letter to the Editor: Open source textbooks | Coastal View

Interesting to Consider >> 

Opinion: Michigan community colleges are fighting injustice | The Detroit News

 

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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.