OpenEd20

In this session, the authors of Write What Matters, OPAL fellows for the Idaho State Board of Education, share best practices for creating a modular open education resource in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the state general education outcomes and partnered with the Idaho State Board of Education and Rebus to create a resource in Pressbooks that is open, accessible, and relatable to a variety of audiences including students in first year composition courses, dual credit students, and students in first year experience courses as well as more advanced students in literature and analysis courses. Rather than focusing on an institution-specific resource with a single “voice,” we chose to create a book that incorporated a variety of existing open education resources while also preserving the original authors’ voices. The book is enhanced with H5P exercises, ready-made essay and discussion prompts for instructors, and video resources helpful to students. The book (still in beta form) is available here: https://idaho.pressbooks.pub/write/

We are excited to share what we learned in the process and to explain how OERs like the one we created can benefit students in rural states, especially in times of crisis.


Learning Outcomes:
1. Understand how the modular approach to OER adaption and creation meets a variety of stakeholder needs.
2. Learn about online collaboration tools that are important to successful OER projects, especially in the COVID-19 environment.
3. Appreciate the importance of including diverse voices and experiences in OER content, which benefits students and teachers.