The "Open" in Open Education is not only about free and reusable course materials. It is also about open communication and collaboration among faculty, staff, students and administrators regarding course material selection and cost. In this presentation, we will present our experience with an OER program at a mid-sized regional university in the Southeast as a means to facilitate discussion and sharing ways we can open education for all.
Over two years ago, East Tennessee State University’s Student Library Advisory Council decided that they wanted to use their student library fee to fund initiatives supporting Open Educational Resources. Since that time, a Digital Scholarship Librarian from Charles C. Sherrod Library and a Teaching and Learning Specialist from the Center for Teaching Excellence combined their expertise to launch and complete a two-year pilot program. Now, the question remains “how do we reimagine a two-year pilot program into an establish suite of services?”
In this session, the presenters will briefly discuss their two-year pilot program, specifically hosting Open Education Network (previously Open Textbook Network) workshops and launching an OER Awards Program. Then, they will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the pilot program based on anecdotal observations and feedback from surveys conducted throughout the program. The program will be contextualized with a description of other campus and state discussions and initiatives. The presenters will show how important it is to seize opportunities to collaborate with student groups, departments, faculty, and administrators in order to sustain open initiatives on campus. This will lead to how they intend to expand and further evolve the program.
The session will delve into questions that arise when starting or reimagining Open Education services: Should the focus be on open or affordable? Who "owns” Open Education on a campus? How do we effectively educate, communicate, and collaborate in regards to Open Education?
Learning Outcomes: Attendees will… - Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of a two-year Open Educational Resources pilot program.
- Identify the groups on their campus to collaborate with in order to strengthen their Open Education initiatives.
- Consider ways to evaluate and reimagine Open Education initiatives on their campus.
