OER DIGEST - May 5, 2022
Aishah Abdullah | Volume 152 | May 5, 2022
THE OER DIGEST
Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
OER STARTER KIT: A new resource has been published for faculty and staff interested in starting or leading OER efforts at their institutions: The OER Starter Kit for Program Managers. This resource was created to share the work involved in building and managing an OER program. It includes learning about open educational practices and asking team members to collect and report data on your program’s outcomes. Attend the launch party on May 10, 12:00-1:00 PM EST to learn more about the book, ask questions, and engage in discussions about program management for OER.
CLIMATE EDUCATION HUB: ISKME launched the Climate Education Hub on OER Commons on Earth Day. This hub is a work in progress as the developers seek out partners in the climate curriculum development community, the professional learning community, and those who are experts in teaching about climate change. The goal of this hub is to develop, over time, robust interdisciplinary collections of OER that integrate a discussion of climate change. If you know of any OER/climate-related work happening in your setting or have suggestions, email mindy@iskme.org.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The call for proposals for the 2022 Open Education Conference is now open. Details on submission requirements, session types, and how to submit a proposal are outlined in the call for proposals. The deadline to submit is May 27, 2022.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Digital Higher Education Consortium of Texas (DigiTex), Texas Digital Library (TDL), and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) are now accepting proposals for the second annual, virtual Open Texas conference, to be held September 21-23, 2022.
LAST CHANCE: Applications for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program 2022-2023 cohort close Friday, May 6th at 11:59pm EDT.
APPLY NOW: Temple University is accepting applicants for Assistant Director of Open Publishing Initiatives and Scholarly Communications. It is a hybrid position and you can learn more and apply here.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM KANSAS: Fort Hays State University recognized faculty and staff that made significant contributions to open educational resources on campus at their inaugural Engaged Scholars reception. Three campus academic departments were honored for their success in providing openly available and other zero-cost materials alternatives for students. The Department of Leadership Studies was recognized for expanding its use of OER in its courses. The Department of Advanced Education Programs earned recognition in the “Innovation” category. The Department of Nursing was honored as the team that had the highest impact with its OER improvements. Read More >>
FROM WASHINGTON D.C: George Washington Libraries awarded grants to faculty who will replace required traditional course materials with free, open resources. This is part of a university-wide effort to lower the cost of textbook prices. This grant, titled Adapting Course Materials for Equity Faculty, was launched earlier this semester and grant awards range from $250 to $1000. Eight professors received the grant who plan to switch to open materials between fall 2022 and fall 2023. Geneva Henry, dean of libraries and academic innovation, said,“We recognize that it’s also a barrier to access to information which is what we’re all about in Libraries. So we have been promoting for a very long time, the adoption of open education resources to increase affordability for our students.” Read More >>
FROM COLORADO: University of Colorado's (CU) The Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Steering Team celebrated the 2022 Open Educational Resources Champion Award. The award celebrates educators across the four CU campuses who contribute to the open education movement. This four-year award program has allowed OER to save CU students $1 million. CU President Todd Saliman congratulated the educators who were awarded and shared, “Your efforts to support OER on your campuses and your dedication to growing this important program at CU are critical. Your work breaks down barriers to a world-class education so that all of our students can thrive and succeed.” Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
The UMass Amherst Libraries are pleased to announce the publication of a new open textbook, Radical Social Theory: An Appraisal, a Critique, and an Overcoming. The book was written thanks to support from the University Libraries Open Education Initiative, which is intended to help faculty transition to open educational resources (OER).
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Great to Share >>
How Open Education Centers Student Voices | Open Campus
Answering the Call for OER | Community College Daily
Interesting to Consider >>
6 Principles for Measuring the Cost Savings of OER | Campus Technology
Lumen Learning Grant Challenges Applicants to Improve OER | Campus Technology
Textbook Price Transparency Bill Passes Major Legislative Hurdle | Business Wire
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.
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