OpenEd20

Open educational resources are linked to a more accessible and affordable format of higher education, as well as being shown to increase student learning overall (Hilton, 2016). Despite these benefits, the uptake of OERs has been slow in the post-secondary sector. Some educators have been hesitant to pursue OERs in their courses due to confusion of ownership and licensing, funding, institutional recognition, and most commonly, time (Hocevar, 2017).

This presentation seeks to address these barriers by introducing the concept of using students as partners in the creation, adaption, and adoption of OERs. The given presentation will provide an overview of three main points:
Why hiring students as partners in OERs serves as a solution to the barriers faced by educators in OER creation.
How to navigate student funding, including discovering existing grant and employment opportunities, and the training required for OER creation.
The benefits for both faculty and students for participating in a partnered OER creation.

This presentation will walk participants through a conceptual methodology of how to pair the need for greater OER initiatives on campuses, with the need for students to develop skills and attributes for success in post-secondary education and beyond. The processes and benefits students gain as full-time collaborators of OER partnerships will be based off of High Impact Practice and Students as Partners literature (cf. Kuh 2008, (Frison & Melacarne, 2017; Bovill & Felten, 2016).

Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (Eds.). (2016). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: Implications for academic development. International Journal for Academic Development: Special Issue, 21(1), 1-90.

Frison, D., & Melacarne, C. (2017). Fostering “student voice” to improve teaching & learning methods in higher education. Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education, 1(20). Retrieved from http://repository.brynmawr.edu/tlthe/vol1/iss20/6

Hilton, J. (2016) Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Education Tech Research and Development, 64(4), 573 – 590.

Kuh, G. (2008). High Impact Educational Practices. What are they, Who has Access to them and Why they Matter. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.


Learning Outcomes:
Throughout this presentation, participants will gain a better understanding of the role of students as partners (SAP) in adopting, adapting, and creating open educational resources (OERs). This session will focus on how to navigate hiring students, training students, and the mutual benefits of student partnership for both students and faculty as backed by SAP literature (cf Bovill, C., & Felten, P., 2016)