Perhaps the question of OER adoption should not be solely focused on individual faculty usage, but on the institutional supports put in place for faculty, in promoting collaboration, and in pursuit of innovative teaching methodologies across institutions. Not only were strong inter-institutional bonds formed between formerly distanced disciplinary tenured and non-tenure track faculty, instructors were able to workshop and collaborate around new methods of teaching and learning, and focusing on student learning outcomes across institutions, while creating a set of high-quality, vetted, openly available materials for use by peers. Particularly during a time of educational upheaval and redesign, perhaps it’s a good idea to rethink how we support our instructors as well.
