Practitioners often require significant training and resources to support and move forward the important student-centered work of Open Education, which we know is often only supported when key-decision makers like legislators and senior leadership are able to grasp the potential value and return on investment of these initiatives, policies, and programming. Practitioners wishing to leverage their experiences and progress as the “boots on the ground” advocates in Open Education often find it difficult to gain access to engage in meaningful dialogue with key leadership. To help facilitate these connections and highlight its regional practitioners, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) developed a series, Practitioner Perspectives, that aims to help stakeholders contextualize the potential value of funding and supporting such grassroots efforts.
NEBHE is one of four regional education compacts in the United States that engages policymakers in the six New England States, working in partnership with governors and their education advisors, regional industries, legislators, and postsecondary leaders of public and independent colleges and universities. In New England, 61% of institutions of higher education (IHEs) are private, which is significantly higher than the rest of the United States. We often celebrate stories of how state funding and public institutions have made progress in advancing the adoption of OER and open practices, however, we don’t hear as much about the good work being done at private institutions, that also enroll students who struggle to afford their learning materials. Our Practitioner Perspectives series intentionally includes a balance of public/private IHE’s, to help gain the attention of senior leadership in obtaining sustainable funds for Open efforts and programming.
In this session we will share the backbone of NEBHE’s communication strategy it employs to help bridge these gaps between our regional practitioners and key stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes: The audience will get a behind the scenes look at the current communication strategy the New England Board of Higher Education is employing to leverage the voices of its Open Education practitioners that highlight examples of the opportunities that OER and its pedagogical practices provide.
