OER Digest – May 25, 2023
Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 171 | May 25, 2023
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
United Nations Calls for Open Access: An United Nations online discussion this month focused on recommendations for expanding access to scientific knowledge in service of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) – including the need for a Global Science Commons. The UN’s 2030 Agenda calls for mechanisms to advance science and technology through knowledge-sharing in open access, online platforms. Read more via SPARC here.
Minnesota OER Legislation: On May 10th the Minnesota State Legislature passed its state budget which provides $1 million in Fiscal Year 24 and and $1 million in Fiscal Year 25 to “reduce students' out-of-pocket costs by expanding free offerings in course materials and resources, including through open educational resources, open textbooks, and implementation of Z-Degrees.” Gov. Tim Walz signed the budget, which includes 12 funding bills, on Wednesday.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: The Michelson 20MM foundation’s OER Spark Grants funding cycle is running from May 30th to June 13th. Spark Grants are an “innovative, just-in-time grantmaking process” that seeks to fund initiatives that would not be possible if they needed to wait through a traditional grant decision timeline. The grants range up to $25,000.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Please assist in identifying potential candidates to participate in a study on how senior leaders at higher education institutions experience the transition to the use of OER on their campuses.
OPENSTAX PARTNER PROGRAM: OpenStax is seeking applications for their Institutional Partner Program, which provides selected institutions with free coaching and OER, access to a community of partner institutions, programming to increase student success, and the option to host an OpenStax sponsored event on their campus. The 2023-2024 application is due on June 30, 2023.
APPLY NOW: St. Cloud State University in Minnesota is seeking an Affordability and Digital Initiatives Librarian to strengthen and support the University in the areas of affordable learning initiatives, institutional repositories, outreach, and library instruction and research services. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply for this temporary, nine-month faculty position.
APPLY NOW: The University of Northern Colorado is seeking a Textbook Affordability Librarian to further develop, lead, and support efforts around UNC’s Affordable and Open Education Resources initiatives. This is a faculty contract renewable position that reports to the Head of Scholarly Communication.
APPLY NOW: New Mexico Highlands University is seeking an Open Educational Resources and Community Outreach Librarian who is responsible for supporting the university’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) – Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Grant program’s OER component and working with the area school districts in meeting the grant’s objectives.
APPLY NOW: Bentley University in Massachusetts is seeking an OER Librarian to develop strategies for increasing the use of OER and alternative course material solutions at the university. The Librarian will advocate for OER adoption with faculty, develop relationships with campus partners to promote student success, and assess the impact on the Library’s equity efforts.
APPLY NOW: Bowling Green State University in Ohio is seeking an Open Educational Resources Strategist to serve as the campus liaison for OER topics and work collaboratively to guide faculty in the discovery, creation, dissemination, identification, adoption, and assessment of open and affordable learning materials.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM MAINE: The New England Board of Higher Education has selected Thomas College to receive a $20,000 Open Education Course Marking Grant. This new 15-month initiative will support institutions in the expansion of student awareness and the use of no-cost learning materials. Thomas College is one of only four institutions in New England to receive the award. “OER has made an incredible impact on our students and faculty at Thomas College,” said Thomas College Provost Thomas Edwards. “More than half of our students have reported that there have been times when they couldn’t afford the text. They also report that OER materials are more engaging than traditional textbooks. OER eliminates those barriers—motivational and financial. Students can focus on learning, faculty can focus on teaching, and the materials they need are right there for everyone to access.” Read More >>
FROM NEBRASKA: The University of Nebraska Omaha Libraries announced their third cohort of “Textbook Maverick” honorees. Textbook Mavericks spotlights UNO faculty, staff, students, and donors who take significant actions to advocate for textbook affordability. Since launching their OER initiative in 2019, the program has saved UNO students $13 million vs. the goal of $10 million by the 2023-2024 school year. “OER has totally transformed how we teach,” said Greg Morin, one of the honorees. “OER made it much easier to adapt class content for some of the changes which have happened as a result of COVID….We have clear modules with a variety of content to engage students in multiple ways.” Read More >>
FROM CALIFORNIA: San Bernardino Valley College anthropology instructor Yasmine Shereen is heading to Morocco for a research project that aims to result in the creation of new OER. Yasmine first traveled to Morocco as a child with her mother who was conducting research. Now, she’s planning to return with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for a project of her own - to conduct ethnographic research in affiliation with the International University of Rabat. “I want to take this research and create educational materials, specifically for Open Education Resources (OER),” she says. “I’m hoping that will permit ongoing collaborations and intercultural exchange between American and Moroccan students, as well as American and Moroccan professors.” Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
Judith Sebesta, Ph.D., recently published, via Pressbooks, Telling Stories to Save the World: Climate Change in Narrative Film, aimed at postsecondary educators, learners, and others. This openly licensed resource explores – through text, images, video, and interactive quizzes – the history and impact of the “Cli-Fi Film,” or Climate Fiction Film, a subgenre of narrative cinema that depicts, on some level, the effects of climate change on the Earth and its inhabitants.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Great to Share >>
Making Ripples: A Guidebook to Challenge Status Quo in OER Creation | Rebus Community
The future of open educational resources | Community College Daily
Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) Releases the National Advocacy Framework for Open Educational Resources (OER) | CARL ABRC
#TextbookBroke: College Library Survey Exposes Price Inequity of Required Course Materials | The F&M College Reporter
Interesting to Consider >>
New Course Materials Models: Who Benefits? | Inside Higher Ed
A responsive approach to OER | Community College Daily
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.