OER Digest - September 1, 2022
From Bilan Jama (CC USA) | Volume 160 | September 1, 2022
THE OER DIGEST
Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PLAN: President Joe Biden announced last week historic new steps to address student loan debt, which includes forgiving up to $20,000 for millions of borrowers and extending the payment freeze one final time until the end of the year. Borrowers who hold loans with the Department of Education and make less than $125,000 a year are eligible for up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness if they received Pell Grants, which are given to students from low- and middle-income families. Individuals who make less than $125,000 a year but did not receive Pell Grants are eligible for $10,000 in loan forgiveness. Read more here.
OPEN ACCESS TO RESEARCH: In a busy week in U.S. federal policy, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued new guidance that will make taxpayer-funded research available to the public, eliminating the current 12-month waiting period for access to research outputs, including articles and data. “When research is widely available to other researchers and the public, it can save lives, provide policymakers with the tools to make critical decisions, and drive more equitable outcomes across every sector of society,” said Dr. Alondra Nelson, head of OSTP. Public access to articles, data, and other research outputs expands the amount of resources openly available to the public.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
REGISTER NOW: Registration for the 2022 Open Education Conference on October 17-20, 2022 is open. The early bird rate of $75 USD ends on September 15th. There is also a student rate of $25 USD and scholarships by application. Register here.
REGISTER NOW: Join PIJIP and New America for the Creating Culturally Responsive Materials with Open Educational Resources: Beyond Commercial Publishing II webinar on October 6th at 6 pm ET. Learn more and register here.
APPLY NOW: UniSQ is seeking someone for a short-term contract (until December 16) to work with the Open Education Team. The Project Officer will focus on their HEPPP funded program of open textbook development, working directly with academic staff who already have texts in production. An Expression of Interest is required (one page) with the applicant's CV by 5:00 pm Thursday September 1. All queries, and applications are forwarded to Adrian.stagg@usq.edu.au.
APPLY NOW: The Open Education Network (OEN) is hiring an open educational practices specialist to serve as the point of contact for members regarding the use of all OEN-supported online platforms and technologies to advance open educational practices. For more information, click here.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM FLORIDA: The University of West Florida Libraries and Provost's office are pleased to announce that nine faculty have received Faculty OER Awards for 2022. All will be adapting or creating textbooks using Pressbooks. Their work will deliver quality texts at no cost to students, saving them thousands of dollars each semester. Read More >>
FROM OHIO: The University of Cincinnati (UC) Board of Trustees recently approved a textbook auto adoption policy to make textbooks more affordable and accessible to students.With the ever-increasing price of college course materials, the Ohio General Assembly mandated through H.B. 110 that universities consider applying the auto adoption policy in June 2021. UC approved its version of the policy a year later, in June 2022. Faculty are encouraged through the UC policy to use Follett Discover to find affordable and non-traditional learning materials to use in their course. “Students benefit from no cost and access on ‘day one,”’ states the textbook auto adoption policy. “It is not uncommon for faculty to assign a blend of purchased materials with OER materials in a particular course syllabus.” Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
Christopher Hammond, Professor of Mathematics at Connecticut College, published The Art of Analysis, an introductory textbook in real analysis. This resource is freely available for anyone to use, either individually or in a classroom setting. The primary innovation of this text is a new perspective on teaching the theory of integration.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Great to Share >>
The impact of open education | Medium
Interesting to Consider >>
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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.