OER Digest – March 27, 2025
Gabby Hernandez (SPARC) | Volume 189 | March 27th, 2025
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
NEW CO-AUTHOR: Hello, I am Gabby Hernandez, the Open Education Community Manager at SPARC. I’m thrilled to join the OER Digest team as a new co-author. I started my Open Education journey as an Open Education Librarian, and I’m excited to continue supporting this incredible community. I look forward to learning, collaborating, and sharing with all of you!
SURVEY INVITATION: Your opinion matters! OER Digest subscribers are invited to take the U.S. National Open Education Needs Assessment Survey, which will help shape the priorities of a new national initiative, the Open Education Association Development Project (opened.org). The survey takes around 10 minutes and is open until April 4th.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: There is just over a week left to submit session proposals to the 2025 Open Education Conference (#OpenEd25), which will be held as a hybrid event on October 28-30 in Denver, CO and online. Proposals are accepted for virtual, hybrid, and in person sessions and must be submitted by Friday, April 4, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT. Also read the recent Board of Directors Statement regarding participation barriers due to the U.S. environment.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: You are invited to submit chapter proposals for The Open Pedagogy Cookbook, an edited Creative Commons volume to be published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. This publication will contain lesson plans, resources, and inspiration from librarians who have successfully implemented open pedagogy at their institutions. Proposals are due on May 2, 2025.
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE) invites you to submit original quantitative and qualitative innovative practice articles and case studies concerning Open Pedagogy, Open Data, and analyses of current topics in Open Educational Resources within the context of Higher Education in the United States and Canada. Initial review of submissions will begin on March 31, 2025. The submission portal closes on April 30, 2025.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: The Florida OER Summit 2025 invites you to engage and connect with other OER enthusiasts from May 21-22 in a free virtual conference. Hear from practitioners in Florida, the nation, and around the world on a variety of topics. Visit the Summit website to register.
JOB POSTING: Diablo Valley College Library is excited to announce a number of position openings to expand their growing and dynamic library team. The job posting for an Adjunct Librarian - Open Educational Resources can be viewed here.
JOB POSTING: The University of Oklahoma is currently looking for a director of their Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication (OISC) Unit. The full job listing can be viewed here.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: The Rebus Foundation has developed a six-week Supplemental Materials Development Certificate course where you can explore, co-create, and implement supplemental materials rooted in learning science while reconnecting with the joy of teaching and learning! For more information please visit their website.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: LibreTexts is excited to announce The LibreTexts Academy: A Center for Open Instructional Innovation and Professional Development cohorts for faculty authors. The Academy aims to help instructors gain experience and expertise using the LibreTexts greater LibreVerse of technologies and resources to create, adapt, and remix high quality OER for their courses.If you are interested, fill out this form on the Academy website.
WEBINAR: The University of Regina is hosting an online Open Education Bootcamp May 13-16th. Register for each online session here.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: Register for KSU’s third annual All Things Open Week, co-hosted by Texas Tech University Libraries! Join them April 7-10 to learn more about varying open movements. View the schedule and register here.
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM OREGON: Since 2019, Oregon State students have saved more than $20 million on textbooks. In the 2024 academic year, 41% of all OSU course sections required materials be low-cost or free. Students appreciate faculty’s acknowledgement of their financial needs through the use of these resources. Faculty and students alike also appreciate that open educational resources democratize knowledge and allow all students to come to class prepared regardless of their financial situation. Read More>>
FROM VIRGINIA: In 2023, JMU formed a task force to address rising textbook costs by promoting the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). The team of representatives from across the university—JMU Libraries, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI), and Faculty Senate—worked together with a shared goal: to expand the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to create a more affordable and equitable educational experience at JMU. Read More>>
FROM GEORGIA: Key to student success is access to course materials – textbooks in particular – but the rising costs make it difficult for some Georgia State students to afford them. Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard has urged faculty to find ways to reduce textbook costs, and the university continues to make progress: more than 60 percent of undergraduate courses at GSU now use low- or no-cost textbooks. Read More>>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
The ISU Digital Press is pleased to announce the publication of a new open educational resource: A Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose for Graduate School Applications by Erin Todey. The publication discusses the conventions and expectations of the Statement of Purpose (SoP) and the writing process, and includes sample SoPs written by students who have been accepted into a graduate program as models.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Little Black Dress and OER: Sticking with the Classics Doesn’t Go Out of Fashion | Michelson 20MM Foundation
US Funding Cuts Imperil Open Infrastructure Globally | Katina Librarianship Elevated
Bringing AI and OER together | 21st Century Blog
Diana Daly Honored with OER Architect Award for Transformative Contributions to Open Education | University of Arizona
MCC Celebrates Open Education Week | Middlesex Community College News
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com.
The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.