Important Announcement to Readers

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/ 

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/ 

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

• Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA

• NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Ray's Curation

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.  

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray  I

Camosun College Student Society supports Camosun open education initiatives - Nexus

Open educational resources include learning, teaching, and research materials that others can use, make changes to, and distribute, for free. For students, one of the main benefits of open education resources is access to free textbooks. CCSS executive director Michel Turcotte says that open education is beneficial for students because it helps ease their financial burden and also can help create better learning materials. “Many students are not able to afford all of their required or recommend textbooks and struggle academically as a result,” says Turcotte. “Open educational resources and other zero textbook cost initiatives make education more affordable for students and ensures equitable access to learning materials. Open educational resources are not inferior to regular textbooks—in fact, they are often more adaptable, interesting to read, and better customized to the course material.”

https://www.nexusnewspaper.com/newsite/2024/05/08/camosun-college-student-society-supports-camosun-open-education-initiatives/

Important Announcement to Readers

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/ 

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/ 

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

• Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA

• NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Ray's Curation

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.  

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray  

Professors team up with West Library to save students thousands of dollars on textbooks - Kehinde Hopkins, the Rambler

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the library and its staff have encouraged professors to adjust their curriculum and use open education resources to make their classes more affordable and accessible for students.  Open education resources (OER) are openly licensed resources such as textbooks, syllabi and online tools that are of low to no cost for students. The West Library has launched a Textbook Heroes campaign to highlight professors who have saved students money by implementing OER. Flyers and posters were hung throughout campus to showcase specific professors and the amount of money they’ve saved students.  

https://therambler.org/20419/news/professors-team-up-with-west-library-to-save-students-thousands-of-dollars-on-textbooks/

Important Announcement to Readers

Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading blog. This is to let

you know that this site will remain online for research in the archives, but will not be updated

after May 15, 2024.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will continue to curate and publish the daily postings that you

are accustomed to reading on my other blogs, which are continuing free of charge:

Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA https://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/

NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://ai-in-highered.blogspot.com/ 

Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA - https://altcred.blogspot.com/

Ray’s Curation - https://rayscuration.blogspot.com/ 

If you would like to receive email updates from any of the blogs, you may subscribe using the links below:

• Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update blog by UPCEA

• NEW! Artificial Intelligence in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Alternative Credentials in Higher Ed by UPCEA

• Ray's Curation

As always, you may unsubscribe at any time by simply clicking at the bottom of any email.  

Thank you for your support over these many years — and I am looking forward to

many more to come!

-ray  

The Prevalence of Textbook Affordability and OER Initiatives at ARL Libraries - Zara T. Wilkinson, The Journal of Academic Librarianship Volume 50, Issue 4, July 2024

Textbook affordability programs and the promotion of OER are well-established priorities for many academic libraries, but few studies have examined the prevalence of such programs either in general or across institution types. This paper presents the results of a study designed to gather information about textbook affordability initiatives at university libraries that are members Association of Research Libraries. 

https://www.infodocket.com/2024/05/06/new-journal-article-the-prevalence-of-textbook-affordability-and-oer-initiatives-at-arl-libraries/

Using OER to promote cultural competency, student engagement - LISSETTE ACOSTA CORNIEL AND JANELLE POE, CC Daily

As Ethnic Studies professors in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, we believe in the importance of teaching Black history in an authentic way. Naturally, we were thrilled to help build and facilitate the Black Studies Across the Americas (BSAA) undergraduate research program at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). The materials the program participants produce are all open educational resources (OER), meaning they are openly licensed and thus free for everyone to use, customize and distribute. Students share these materials through the OpenLab site where anyone can review and share the infographics, presentations, zines, podcasts, cookbooks and other resources with corresponding lesson plans on countries and communities like Brazil, Haiti, Peru, the Dominican Republic and the Garifuna of Central America.

https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/05/using-oer-to-promote-cultural-competency-student-engagement/

Transforming Education at UNM: CULLS launches innovative OER Programs with AI integration and financial support - UNM

This summer, CULLS will run a Pilot Program to help faculty, instructors, and graduate students learn more about AI and OER. This pilot program for AI-Enhanced Creation of Open Educational Resources consists of a cohort of 6-10 faculty members and instructors. The pilot will help CULLS develop the AI section for an OER guidebook currently in development, and cohort members will receive a stipend of $1,000, as well as three months’ subscription to Open AI’s GPT-4, for their involvement in the program. This eight-week cohort-based program is designed to support faculty and instructors across diverse disciplines, by providing the tools needed to incorporate AI in OER development. Additionally, it offers a collaborative space for sharing insights and learning alongside peers. Participating researchers will have the opportunity to develop resources for their individual courses or initiate larger-scale OER projects.

https://news.unm.edu/news/transforming-education-at-unm-culls-launches-innovative-oer-programs-with-ai-integration-and-financial-support

RCTC to offer no cost ‘Z-degrees’ by spring 2026 - KTTC

 RCTC, along with six other colleges and universities in Minnesota, has committed to creating, finalizing, and implementing a new Z-degree by spring 2026. Since its inception in 2020, ten Minnesota State colleges have offered Z-degrees. Z-degrees are degree programs in which students pay zero textbook costs using Open Educational Resources or other no-cost options. Open Educational Resources are digital textbooks and other educational materials that are freely licensed and available at no cost, potentially saving students thousands of dollars.

https://www.kttc.com/2024/04/04/rctc-offer-no-cost-z-degrees-by-spring-2026/

Penn State Lehigh Valley to hold Open and Affordable Showcase - Sara Karnish, Penn State

Penn State Lehigh Valley will hold the 3rd Annual Open Affordable Showcase on May 9. This event is open to any faculty or staff member within the Penn State network interested in making students’ Penn State experience more affordable; exploring best practices around open educational resources (OER); discovering new ways to use materials in classes, assignments or activities; or how open pedagogy can help advance teaching and learning goals. The conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., primarily in room 224.

https://www.psu.edu/news/lehigh-valley/story/penn-state-lehigh-valley-hold-open-and-affordable-showcase/

Creative Commons USA Releases Legislative Guide to Open Educational Resources - Washington University

Last week, Creative Commons USA released a new resource for state policymakers interested in tackling the high cost of college textbooks and improving student outcomes in the process. The resource, an “OER State Legislative Guide,” is meant to provide policymakers and staff with a cross-sectional, annotated set of legislative texts that help expand the use of OER (open educational resources), a powerful alternative to the broken textbook market. OER are learning materials published under a license that gives users permission to share, adapt, and retain them – at no cost to the user. Openly licensed materials, unlike traditional books, leverage modern technology to reduce costs and deliver knowledge in a more accessible way. As a result, open licensed works have far fewer barriers between them and the end user – which alleviates the negative consequences of the traditional textbook market, improves access and performance as a result, and opens the doors to far greater innovation and development.

https://www.wcl.american.edu/impact/initiatives-programs/pijip/news/creative-commons-usa-releases-legislative-guide-to-open-educational-resources/

CC OPEN EDUCATION PLATFORM ACTIVITIES: 2023 IN REVIEW - Jennryn Wetzler, et al; Creative Commons

The CC Open Education community had a busy 2023!  Five project teams, spanning nine countries, worked on open education projects ranging from developing STEAM, interactive, and climate change-related OER, to international curriculum alignment and translation work. Community members also worked on multimedia resources supporting the UNESCO Recommendation on OER, and presented in CC’s biannual Open Education Lightning Talks. Community members reflect on their accomplishments, lessons learned and what is next below. CC staff lightly edited text for clarity.

https://creativecommons.org/2024/01/31/cc-open-education-platform-activities-2023-in-review/

English Medium Education and Gender Equality (EMEGen) Open Educational Resources

1 Role of digital in girls’ lives

The British Council carried out a global research exercise on the role of digital and technology in the lives of adolescent girls in:

Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.

Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal.

Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Syria.

Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Ethiopia.

One of the questions was:

What is girls’ level of digital literacy and what access do they have to digital technology and platforms?

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/book/view.php?id=219037

Open-source intelligence and online investigations in focus at OSCE training course for law enforcement in Uzbekistan - OSCE

Seventeen representatives from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Law Enforcement Academy took part in the course, which was held at the Law Enforcement Academy and delivered by two international experts from Georgia and Lithuania. The course’s ten modules covered topics such as relevant open-source intelligence process and information theory; web and internet fundamentals; operational security in online investigations; analysis of websites, emails, social networks, images and other open sources; preservation of online evidence; and human rights in the context of open-source intelligence. The training materials were based on a new e-learning course developed by the OSCE in 2023.

https://www.osce.org/secretariat/567379

New Data From Open Syllabus: “OER Adoption Update: 2023”- Gary Price, Library Journal

With the release of version 2.11 of the OS dataset, we can update our reporting on adoption rates for open educational resources (OERs) — specifically, open textbooks and ‘open access’ monographs. We track OER adoption via the appearance of titles on syllabi — the point of use rather than the point of sale or distribution. In 2013, OER textbooks were barely on the scene and used in only around 1 in 400 classes. By 2023, it was 1 in 80. Over the past 10 years, the growth rate in OER textbook use has averaged around 17.5% per year in the US.

https://www.infodocket.com/2024/04/11/new-data-from-open-syllabus-oer-adoption-update-2023/

Transforming Education at UNM: CULLS launches innovative OER Programs with AI integration and financial support

The College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences (CULLS) is supporting faculty and instructors interested in researching and developing Open Educational Resources (OER) for use in higher education. Both programs offer monetary support for selected applicants. This summer, CULLS will run a Pilot Program to help faculty, instructors, and graduate students learn more about AI and OER. This pilot program for AI-Enhanced Creation of Open Educational Resources consists of a cohort of 6-10 faculty members and instructors. The pilot will help CULLS develop the AI section for an OER guidebook currently in development, and cohort members will receive a stipend of $1,000, as well as three months’ subscription to Open AI’s GPT-4, for their involvement in the program.

https://news.unm.edu/news/transforming-education-at-unm-culls-launches-innovative-oer-programs-with-ai-integration-and-financial-support

Elon University guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium that reside in the public domain and have been released under an open license that permits access, use, repurposing, reuse and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions  (Atkins, Brown & Hammond, 2007).

OER are not just textbooks.  Examples include case studies, assignments, assessment tools, software, simulations, videos, workshops, lab manuals, test banks.

https://elon.libguides.com/oer/opentextbooks

Open Educational Resources: Find Open Textbooks - UIC

These search engines are a great place to start your OER search, especially if you're not tied to textbooks. They search across a variety of OER collections, databases, and repositories to make your search a bit easier. 

OASIS https://oasis.geneseo.edu/

Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier. OASIS currently searches open content from 98 different sources and contains 368,234 records. Created by SUNY Geneseo's Milne Library.

Mason OER Metafinder (MOM)-Provides a simultaneous search across 20 different sources of open educational materials. Created by George Mason University.

https://researchguides.uic.edu/opentextbooks/search