OER Virtual Pop-Up Conference - Open Education Week

 Helping you find and explore free, engaging resources for you and your students is the goal of the CCIU’s OE Week Pop-Up Virtual Conference event. During the first week of March, a self-paced component guiding you through a new resource or exercise will be released each day. On Thursday, March 4, 2021, from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., an optional live event will be held to address your questions and connect you with Pennsylvania OER experts from intermediate units across the state.

https://www.openeducationweek.org/events/oer-virtual-pop-up-conference

Open Education Week: OER Dynamic Coalition Webinar - UNESCO

 The webinar OER Dynamic Coalition is being organised within the framework of the Open Education Week, an annual celebration for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide. The objective is to present the work followed by the UNESCO OER Recommendation and the creation of the OER Dynamic Coalition.

https://events.unesco.org/event?id=1292001071&lang=1033

An Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OERs) - Duqense Unversity

 OERs are freely available, openly licensed resources for teaching and learning. As an alternative or supplement to proprietary textbooks, they provide great benefits, from saving students money to offering incredible pedagogical opportunities for faculty. We invite you to celebrate Open Education Week with us by learning with us about OERs and why they matter. This session is open to the entire Duquesne community - faculty, staff and students are all welcome to participate!This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence and Gumberg Library.

https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/events/an-introduction-to-open-educational-resources-(oers)

OER: The future of education at OCC and beyond? - Sarah Guidroz, Coast Report

 “The students love it,” Perkins said. “I have some email me about it. The time I notice it the most is during class time. I’ll see them pull up OpenStax on their phones or laptop.” “I’m glad to have a position to promote OER,” Archibald said. “The goal I set for myself is to reach 20% of classes with zero percent cost by fall 2021.”  

https://www.coastreportonline.com/features/article_a0a25400-6fc5-11eb-b7e4-ab18bdea5b8e.html

Enhancing the Digital Transformation of African Universities: COVID-19 as Accelerator - Paul Tiyambe Zeleza and Paul Mzee Okanda, Elephant

 Equally low were levels of national support for open educational resources (OER). In terms of national initiatives in favour of OER, the global average for “Yes, very much” was 16 per cent, similar to Africa’s. The global average for support for online bibliography or library for online content was 23 per cent and for Africa 16 per cent compared to a high of 32 per cent each for Europe and Latin America and Caribbean. At the institutional level only 19 per cent reported fully creating and using OER at the global level, while in Africa 9 per cent did so, which was below the other regions. Commitment to open science was much lower at the national level (17 per cent) compared to the institutional level (56 per cent). 

https://www.theelephant.info/long-reads/2021/02/09/enhancing-the-digital-transformation-of-african-universities-covid-19-as-accelerator/

Current trends in digital learning technology - the Daily Star

As it has become increasingly easier to have an online presence, educators worldwide have created a massive ocean of Open Educational Resources (OER). There's now high quality, top-notch educational content on the internet on any topic imaginable. There is no discipline of education for which professional resources cannot be found on the internet. This has become possible thanks to high speed, instantly accessible internet becoming a permanent fixture in our modern lives. These open resources are free to use, distribute, share and usually download. Some of the biggest OER students and educators should be aware of are Lumen Learning, Merlot, OER Commons, Open Learning Initiative, Khan Academy etc. As a forerunner of the Open Educational Resource movement, MIT OpenCourseWare still stands as one of the most prized resources for learning for students all across the globe.

https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/30th-anniversary-supplements/going-digital/news/current-trends-digital-learning-technology-2044025

The OER Implementation Collection - UNC Digital Course Enhancement Collections

 The OER Implementation Collection is a companion to the UNC digital course enhancement collections. It was developed for faculty, instructors, and librarians in the UNC System by open educational resources (OER) experts from NC State University, East Carolina University, UNC Greensboro, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina A&T, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and UNC Chapel Hill.  The collection gathers reliable open resources and provides videos of presentations from authoritative speakers to answer the most frequent questions faculty ask about how and why to use OER in their courses. The OER Implementation Collection will provide a guide to finding and using OER for faculty and instructors who are interested in working with the UNC digital course enhancement collections and using other open educational resources in their teaching. 

https://sites.google.com/northcarolina.edu/theoerimplementationcollection

Hancock College receives grant to expand student textbook access - Santa Maria Times

 Hancock College and three other community colleges in California will be able to provide free textbooks and materials to students after receiving a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Education grant, a college spokesman said Tuesday. The federal Open Educational Resources grant is aimed at sharing and creating resources for diverse and underserved students at community colleges, according to Hancock spokesman Chris McGuinness.  Open educational resources include free, high-quality textbooks, homework systems and even college courses. 

https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/education/hancock-college-receives-grant-to-expand-student-textbook-access/article_4a4760ca-d529-5e78-9d7c-ef97131d063c.html

OpenStax Expands OER Content Within Tutor Platform - Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Rice University's OpenStax has added additional titles from its line of open education resources to its tutoring application, along with new functionality. OpenStax Tutor is an online reading and homework platform intended to engage students in their studies. The program is available for $10 per semester per student to students whose faculty have assigned the use of the platform to them. (Once the semester is over, students will always be able to access the textbook content on the organization's website.)

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/02/10/openstax-expands-oer-content-within-tutor-platform.aspx

Top Online Resources to Help You in Your Studies - Kailey Walters, ULoop

 The Internet is a vast place, full of potentially helpful resources that you can use to help you in your studies alongside your given course material such as your textbooks and class notes. However, not everything you see online is necessarily trustworthy or credible — so how can you tell the difference between a helpful online resource and an unhelpful one? Read on for some trustworthy (and free!) online resources you can use to supplement your studies, especially as finals are upon you.

https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/285423/Top-Online-Resources-to-Help-You-in-Your-Studies

Engineers create STEAM curriculum for kids - Tahlequah Daily Press

 Open for Business Oklahoma members are offering free, virtual-based STEAM - science, technology, engineering, art and math - curriculum for Oklahoma teachers and parents. The group's "Think Like an Engineer" series offers six interactive lessons that promote hands-on learning and critical thinking. The content is designed to help middle school students put textbook concepts into hands-on practice.

https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/engineers-create-steam-curriculum-for-kids/article_139a1829-5b91-53c4-85d4-ea624e0db6ae.html

Jefferson Trust to award nearly $1M in grants - NBC29

 Affordability and Equity: Open Educational Resources: $77,400

The use of open educational resources to provide affordable and equitable access to an excellent education has been hampered by two factors: insufficient content appropriate for UVA courses, and lack of support for faculty authors.The proposed program will address both by offering grants to support faculty in the creation of new or adaptation of existing open educational resources, in collaboration with instructional designers, librarians, and student interns.

https://www.nbc29.com/2021/02/09/jefferson-trust-award-nearly-m-grants/

'Price gouging from Covid': student ebooks costing up to 500% more than in print- Anna Fazackerley, the Guardian

Librarians at UK universities say students’ reading lists for this term are being torn up because of publishers’ “eye-watering” increases to ebook prices, and some students are now reading what is available or affordable, rather than what their tutors think is best for their course. With thousands of students studying in their bedrooms at home because of the pandemic, providing access to textbooks and research books online has become crucial. However, librarians say academic publishers are failing to offer electronic versions of many books, seen as critical to degree courses during the pandemic. 

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/29/price-gouging-from-covid-student-ebooks-costing-up-to-500-more-than-in-print

Allan Hancock College receives grant to lower student textbook costs - Cassie Amundson, KEYT

 Allan Hancock College has received a new grant that will save students millions of dollars by granting free textbooks and other open-learning materials. This partnership of federally designated Hispanic Serving Institutions was awarded a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve educational access for diverse and traditionally underserved students.

https://keyt.com/news/education/2021/02/09/allan-hancock-college-receives-grant-to-lower-student-textbook-costs/

Opinion: California’s universities should back open textbooks - Masarah Salman, San Diego Union Tribune

 The price of higher education has increased rapidly and students are suffering. With an ongoing pandemic, many students are forced to decide between their textbooks or going hungry. No one should have to make this decision because they desire a higher degree, it is unfair. Thankfully, the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) is working to make college more affordable.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2021-02-06/opinion-californias-universities-should-back-open-textbooks

How Open Education Resources (OER) Can Cross the Digital Divide - Kevin Hogan, Marketscale

 Less than a decade after publishing its first free, openly licensed textbook, OpenStax — Rice University’s educational technology initiative — has saved students $1.2 billion. In this episode of Edtech Today, Kevin Hogan sits down with the Managing Director of OpenStax, Daniel Williamson, to discuss his organization’s efforts to offer openly licensed textbooks integrated with personalized learning technology.

https://marketscale.com/industries/education-technology/how-open-education-resources-oer-can-cross-the-digital-divide/

Inflated textbook prices reflect larger issues in the education system - Dalia Maeroff, Pitt News

 What confuses me most is how universities — including Pitt — preach diversity and inclusivity, then allow their departments and professors to use textbooks that are grossly expensive, effectively leaving their low-income students — very often including students of color — behind. Putting diversity and inclusion first means being accessible, and affording all of your students the basic human decency of being caring and compassionate. Expecting students to spend so much money, especially during a pandemic, makes it hard to believe that universities prioritize their students’ well-being over their ability to make a profit.

https://pittnews.com/article/163095/opinions/opinion-inflated-textbook-prices-reflect-larger-issues-in-the-education-system/

LSU students, professors speak out about textbook prices, online resources - Anne Marie Wherritt, Reveille

 Some professors have implemented free online resources, like articles or historical texts, for their students. Geology Professor Suniti Kamara Walimuni Devage teaches GEOL 1003. In the past, he required students to purchase a textbook, but when the pandemic and remote classes began, he looked into other, more accessible options. “I want to provide resources that anyone can access,” Devage said. “These online resources, I find, offer more viable and visual information to my students.”

https://www.lsureveille.com/news/textbooks-how-online-resources-and-textbooks-are-both-viable-options-for-students/article_ce14d690-6257-11eb-b603-e7ff28cce009.html

Private colleges are joining this effort to make school more affordable BY O.J. OLEKA AND LORI WERTH, Herald-Leader

 The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) has begun the process of making all textbooks and course materials completely free. By transitioning all undergraduate and graduate courses to Open Educational Resources (OERs) and other no-cost course materials, UPIKE recognized that now was the moment to make this change for students and their families. As leaders within higher education, we agree that classroom resources, including textbooks, are important as it guides learning within technical and community colleges as well as four-year university environments. But we also recognize the cost of textbooks is a barrier that impacts student learning. The inability to afford textbooks and other course materials is a social justice and equity issue, disproportionately and negatively impacting some students compared to others.

https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article248600030.html

Fresno college students: How does the costs of textbooks and access codes affect you? - ASHLEIGH PANOO, Fresno Bee

Students in the U.S. spent an average of $413 on required materials during the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the National Association of College Stores. About 28% of students didn’t buy at least one of their required materials, citing price as the biggest reason. The number of students downloading free materials online also rose, according to the same report, doubling over a year to 26% in spring 2020.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/education-lab/article248848859.html

U Wyoming Libraries Selects Alternative Textbook Grant Recipients

University of Wyoming Libraries recently awarded alternative textbook grants to seven faculty members and a graduate student to implement open educational resources (OER) in their classes this spring. The alternative textbooks resulting from the grants are projected to save UW students more than $67,000 per semester. 

http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2021/02/uw-libraries-selects-alternative-textbook-grant-recipients.html

Champions of open educational resources eligible for annual award Honor includes $500 cash - University of Colorado

 The Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Steering Team are accepting nominations for the annual Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion Award. The award celebrates an educator from each of the four University of Colorado campuses who contributes to the open educational movement, increases campus and system awareness of OER, and/or galvanizes interest in exploring, adopting and creating OER to benefit CU students.

https://connections.cu.edu/stories/champions-open-educational-resources-eligible-annual-award

OER, Events, and Scooters - Bailey Brendel, Minnesota State Manketo Reporter

“Over the past few years, IT Solutions and the Library have been working to raise awareness about the options provided by both our library collection and by Open Educational Resources (OER).  Through professional development and outreach, programs like the Maverick Textbook Reserves, and our Institutional Partnership with OpenStax, we are working to offer options for students and faculty when it comes to their course material,” said Miller.  Professors in BIO 106 used this format and in 2017 their platform cost $220 per student, now the class has a platform that costs $99.35 per student because of the Open Educational Resources. In those years just one class has saved $200,000 for students. In total, this service has saved students $395,000. 

https://www.msureporter.com/2021/01/28/student-gov-oer-events-and-scooters/

What are the advantages of blockchain as an educational resource? - Rory McGreal, World Economic Forum

By 2025, approximately 100 million learners will be capable of higher education but won't have access to it. Blockchain can support the dissemination of open educational resources on a global scale. But using blockchain in education has challenges, such as the legality of data ownership, so more research is needed before it becomes widespread.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/higher-education-blockchain-united-nations-international-educational-resources-equality

Open Educational Resources at UMBC

 The OER group champions student success and accessibility at UMBC by planning, implementing, assessing, and advancing Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives on campus.

https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/oer

Middlesex College receives grant to develop open educational resources - Central Jersey

 Middlesex College is the statewide lead for a $1.44 million federal Department of Education Open Educational Resources (OER) grant. The three-year grant will engage a consortium of New Jersey community colleges and Rowan University to develop open textbooks in career and technical education STEM (science, engineering, technology, math) courses that align to career pathways in New Jersey’s growth industries including health services, technology, energy, and global manufacturing and supply chain management.

https://centraljersey.com/2021/01/24/middlesex-college-receives-grant-to-develop-open-educational-resources/

West Hills College Lemoore earns $2m grant - Valley Voice

West Hills College Lemoore has earned a $1,999,924.00 grant from The U.S. Department of Education to further enhance their Open Educational Resource (OER) efforts in partnership with the Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions Open Educational Resources (CC ECHO) program. “West Hills College Lemoore is thrilled to be one of only four colleges in the nation to receive this prestigious grant,” said, WHCL President Kristin Clark. “The almost $2 million award is a testament to WHCL’s commitment to providing high-quality, zero-cost textbooks.” 

https://www.ourvalleyvoice.com/2021/01/21/west-hills-college-lemoore-earns-2m-grant/

Open Education Resources - Smart Copying

 Smart Copying - the official guide to copyright issues for Australian Schools and TAFE.  Meta-site on OER.  OER are teaching and learning materials that are freely available for everyone to use whether you are a teacher, student or self- learner. Learning and teaching materials which are made available openly under licences which permit their free access, use, adaptation and sharing by others are transformed into OER. OER resources are licenced under Creative Commons (CC) licences and in particular the CC-BY (Attribution) and CC-BY-SA (Share Alike) licences are used.

https://smartcopying.edu.au/open-education-resources/