Collaborations between libraries and academic departments can provide the synergistic energies needed to develop and adopt OER texts on a programmatic level. The key to success for such collaborations is to make sure that the interests of both parties are represented, and to understand that different groups may have interests that do not overlap. By identifying and acknowledging the variety of interests at play in collaborative OER projects, authors and creators can increase engagement with and adoption of OER textbooks.
This presentation explores how an interdisciplinary collaboration between an English department and university library resulted in a composition and information literacy OER that was successfully launched in a freshman composition course. By considering the needs and interests of both groups, the OER creators were able to achieve outcomes that their respective organizations found meaningful and which enhanced support for OER adoption.
In the English department the author was interested in creating a flexible and multi-formatted teaching text. In the library, the authors believed an OER textbook could be designed to support and reinforce efforts to embed information literacy into the composition curriculum. Authors from both areas wanted to lower textbook cost for students. Given that the text is used in first-year writing courses, the authors worked diligently to create a textbook that met each of these goals, and that was accessible to all and allowed for equitable access to the content material. Through that process, they discovered that cross-curricular collaborations improve both access and affordability.
This presentation will focus on the lessons learned through that collaborative process that inform the revision of the OER in future iterations. Audience members will learn about the planning and communication consideration that can positively impact collaborations across departments.
Learning Outcomes: Audience member will:
- identify strategies for planning between departments in order to collaborate effectively to create OER textbooks - recognize how to communicate about different goals for collaborators in order to increase departmental satisfaction and OER success
First Year Experience and Outreach Librarian, Texas A&M University Libraries
Sarah LeMire is the First Year Experience and Outreach Librarian at Texas A&M University. She is interested in information literacy instruction, assessment, scalability of instruction and outreach, and outreach to special populations, especially veterans.
