Third ERUA Open Science Meet-Up: Open Educational Resources (OER) - Hannah Schneider, Maximilian Heber, University of Konstanz

Open Educational Resources are a dimension of Open Science which is often overlooked: Especially among teachers and course instructors, the opportunities of Open Educational Resources are far too little known and seized. Frequently abbreviated as OER, Open Educational Resources are – as the name suggests – (self-)teaching materials which can be accessed by everyone for free on the internet. In this ERUA Open Science meet-up, we will be discussing, among other things, where you can find Open Educational Resources and what you need to keep in mind when producing your own OER by looking at exemplary cases. We are looking forward to meeting you all there – members of all ERUA universities (Roskilde, Konstanz, New Bulgarian University, Paris 8 and the University of the Aegean) are invited and warmly welcome to drop by. No registration is required.

https://www.uni-konstanz.de/universitaet/aktuelles-und-medien/oeffentliche-veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungsdetails/2022/3/31/event/45499-Third-ERUA-Open-Science-/tx_cal_phpicalendar/

Open Textbook Library Reaches 1,000 Titles - Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

Just in time for its 10-year anniversary, the Open Textbook Library's collection of open education resources has surpassed 1,000 titles. Launched in 2012, the Library is an online catalog of openly licensed materials hosted by the Open Education Network (OEN), a membership community based at the University of Minnesota's Center for Open Education.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2022/03/16/open-textbook-library-reaches-1000-titles.aspx

Moving forward on OER - Fran Lefort, Community College Daily

Accustomed to budgeting hundreds of dollars for textbooks each semester, Ana Andrade found a nice surprise in her inbox after registering for fall 2020 classes. The simple message from her instructor: No need to purchase the official textbook because a free online resource is offered. Since fall 2017 when the zero-cost textbook program known as open educational resources (OER) was introduced, Washtenaw Community College (WCC) students have saved nearly $9 million in WCC’s 47 courses offering OER. The Michigan college now offers four entirely no-cost textbook business certificates, and it is close to offering zero-cost textbook associate degrees, dubbed “Z Degrees.”

https://www.ccdaily.com/2022/03/moving-forward-on-oer/

AAC&U Announces 2022-2023 Institute on Open Educational Resources - Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is now accepting applications for its 2022-2023 Institute on Open Educational Resources, a year-long training program on designing and implementing OER plans on campus. Through activities, project work and sessions with expert consultants, teams of faculty, staff and administrators will develop strategies to accelerate OER adoption at their institutions. Campuses pursuing affordability, student success or student learning goals are "ideally suited" for the Institute, according to a news announcement.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2022/03/15/aacu-announces-2022-2023-institute-on-open-educational-resources.aspx

U Wyoming Libraries to Launch Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education

University of Wyoming Libraries soon will launch the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE), a new, open peer-reviewed journal. The journal is currently accepting scholarly articles that critically analyze the role of open educational resources (OER) in higher education for its debut issue. The journal is anticipated to launch this fall.  Development and implementation of OER in higher education are expanding rapidly as colleges and universities seek to ease the financial burden experienced by students. According to Achieving the Dream’s 2020 study on the academic and economic impacts of one specific OER initiative, student savings averaged $65 or more per student per OER course.

https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2022/03/uw-libraries-to-launch-journal-of-open-educational-resources-in-higher-education.html

LCCC faculty redesigning courses to save students textbook costs - Morning Journal

Two Lorain County Community College faculty members – Karin Hooks, Ph.D., and Michelle Yuhasz – each will receive a small grant from OhioLINK to learn how to teach with no-cost open resource course materials for students, helping students save even more money on the cost of their college education, according to a news release. Hooks and Yuhasz are two of 29 faculty members from 15 colleges and universities across Ohio who will receive grants from the OhioLink Affordable Learning Open Course Redesign Grants program.

https://www.morningjournal.com/2022/03/12/lccc-faculty-redesigning-courses-to-save-students-textbook-costs/

Open Educational Resources (OER) Dynamic Coalition Webinar: Developing Supportive Policy for OER - UNESCO

UNESCO is organizing a webinar to highlight the second area of action of the UNESCO OER Recommendation: Developing Supportive Policy for OER. The topics include gaining a better understanding about the policy approaches taken by different institutions or governments; understanding why certain policy approaches have been successful while others have not; and examining which existing policy frameworks are impeding OER and OE, therefore encouraging action to dismantle or revise them. The webinar will also fulfil the need for sharing success, challenges, and lessons regarding policy formulation and implementation in different contexts.

https://events.unesco.org/event?id=2832508494

Bicameral Legislation to Help Make College Textbooks More Affordable - Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith

The legislation, known as the Affordable College Textbook Act, would authorize a competitive grant program to support the creation of and expand the use of open college textbooks—textbooks that are available under an open license, allowing professors, students, researchers, and others to freely access the materials.  Textbook costs are one of the most overlooked costs of going to college, but they can be substantial and can be a barrier to attaining a college education. According to The College Board, the average student budget for college books and supplies during the 2021-2022 academic year was $1,240 at four-year public institutions. 

https://www.smith.senate.gov/us-sens-smith-durbin-king-sinema-rep-neguse-introduce-bicameral-legislation-help-make-college

This growing program reduces textbook costs for UNK students - Tyler Ellyson, University of Nebraska Kearney

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of college textbooks increased 88% from 2006 to 2016. The Education Data Initiative reports that the average full-time, undergraduate student spends more than $1,200 on books and other course materials each year, forcing some of them to work extra hours, skip meals or ignore other expenses to pay the bill. One in five students surveyed by the Education Data Initiative indicated the cost of books and materials directly influenced their decision on what classes to take.

https://unknews.unk.edu/2022/03/11/this-growing-program-reduces-textbook-costs-for-unk-students/

Correll and Mickelson receive fifth Open Educator Award - University of Colorado

The University Libraries and CU Boulder Student Government are pleased to recognize Nikolaus Correll and Alan Mickelson as recipients of the 2022 Open Educator Award at the University of Colorado Boulder. Both associate professors were selected to receive this award for using open educational practices in their teaching. Correll, an associate professor in Computer Science, Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and Aerospace Engineering Sciences is honored this year for his creation and adoption of the open textbook Introduction to Autonomous Robots. The book has attracted the attention of fellow educators and thousands of hobbyists and programmers worldwide, who have forked the book and "starred" it on GitHub. Beginning in 2022, the textbook will be available through MIT Press with an open license.  Mickelson, an associate professor in Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, is honored this year for his use of David J.C. MacKay’s openly-licensed text Sustainable Energy–Without the Hot Air in a 1000-level course on sustainable energy. 

https://www.colorado.edu/libraries/2022/03/07/correll-and-mickelson-receive-fifth-open-educator-award

Content in open education - EU Science Hub

Content in open education refers to materials for teaching and learning, and research outputs, which are free of charge (preferably openly licensed) and available to all. Content in open education encompasses texts of all sorts, textbooks, course materials, pictures, games, podcasts, video lectures, software, data, research papers and outputs, and any other type of educational material that conveys information which can be used for teaching and learning. It can be open licensed, in the public domain or copyrighted but should be 'gratis' and accessible by everyone without restrictions.

https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/what-open-education/openedu-framework/content_en

Students save $9M using digital textbooks at Washtenaw Community College - Samuel Dodge, Mlive

The Open Education Resources (OER) program saves hundreds of dollars per student by making official classroom textbooks available fully online, according to a WCC release. The program has applied to 47 of the college’s courses since fall 2017, including a number of required classes needed to earn a business certificate, the release states. Soon, the zero-cost textbook approach will apply to classes needed for a handful of associate degrees.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/03/students-save-9m-using-digital-textbooks-at-washtenaw-community-college.html

University Libraries initiative promotes open educational resources at UMSL - BURK KROHE, UMSL Daily

Lena Marvin, a reference and the institutional repository librarian for University Libraries at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, knew exactly what to do when a student came to her with a unique dilemma. He had learned calculus in his first language, Spanish, but he needed to learn it in English to keep up with his math classes. “I was like, ‘Oh, well, here’s an entire calculus book. You can have the whole thing online. It has interactive elements. It’s all there,’” Marvin said. “That made me feel happy.” What Marvin provided is what’s known as an open educational resource.

https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2022/02/21/university-libraries-oer/

Montana State U Library, MSU Bookstore work to reduce textbook costs for students - Anne Cantrell, MSU

Montana State University suggests that students budget $1,450 annually on books and supplies, but the MSU library and MSU Bookstore are working to reduce those costs and help make education more affordable for all students. Nationally, textbook costs have risen in recent decades, and textbooks and course materials remain one of the of the most significant costs after tuition for students attending college. MSU’s efforts are paying dividends. Since the library rolled out an initiative about two years ago to support and encourage faculty to use open educational resources, 33 MSU faculty members have switched to existing open educational resources in their classes, according to Christina Trunnell, reference and instruction librarian with the MSU Library. Trunnell said that, collectively, that has saved more than 9,500 MSU students more than $1.1 million in textbook costs. She estimates that by the end of the fiscal year in June, the savings will have grown to $2 million.

https://www.montana.edu/news/21880/msu-library-msu-bookstore-work-to-reduce-textbook-costs-for-students

Our international OER dossier re-published in new splendour - Eduserver

At the end of the year, we completely revised and updated our international OER dossier. The OER movement can now look back on several years of activity. Many projects have now expired. But many new ones have also been created, building on the knowledge gained from older projects ("lessons learned"). Networks and repositories with OER material have emerged. Much literature has also been published on OER, including critical voices. You can find all of this in our new web dossier on international perspectives on OER. We hope you enjoy reading!

https://www.eduserver.de/nachricht_e.html?nachricht_id=1215&pk_campaign=no_campaign_rss&pk_source=neuigkeiten&pk_medium=rss

Ministry launches “OER Cambodia” website to promote digital education - Khmer Times

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has launched “OER Cambodia” website to promote digital education in Cambodia. The news was shared in its press release issued on March 1, adding that the new website “OER Cambodia” that stands for Open Educational Resource in Cambodia can be accessed at https://oer.moeys.gov.kh. The site will further promote the sharing and use of digital education contents in line with the new normal context as well as to fill the gaps of in-classroom learning caused by Covid-19.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501035266/ministry-launches-oer-cambodia-website-to-promote-digital-education/

CC stands in solidarity with Ukraine and supports those safeguarding public collections, educational resources, and cultural heritage sites - Catherine Stihler, Creative Commons

Alongside the humanitarian crisis, the war is also causing irreversible damage to the arts, cultural, education, information, and media sectors. Creative Commons stands in solidarity with Ukraine and supports the brave and selfless individuals, working hard to preserve, safeguard, protect, and share the knowledge and cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people.  We stand beside EU Ministers of Culture and Media who expressed their support for artists, journalists, and cultural and media professionals, who, because of Russian military aggression, are now threatened in their freedoms. 

https://creativecommons.org/2022/03/08/ukraine-safeguarding

Bridging the OER ancillary gap: Utilize existing OER materials while improving engagement and learning outcomes - UPCEA & Nearpod

The challenge is NOT in finding #OER, there are great sites for that. But, the challenge many of us face is in motivating and supporting faculty in turning their OER resources into active learning. Join me, Ray Schroeder, MERLOT's Gerry Hanley, and Nearpod's Jon Poole at noon EDT Tuesday 3/15 to advance success in higher ed OER programs. Free, but registration required:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5075351592680448779

Staff shortages a barrier for distance ed during Covid - Fred Lokken, CC Daily

 Staffing shortages emerged as one of the greatest challenges for community college distance learning programs during the pandemic, according to an annual survey by the Instructional Technology Council (ITC).  The ITC survey has been monitoring the growth in OER interest and adoptions at community colleges for several years. Initial interest eight years ago was guarded with relatively few very optimists that the OER movement could successfully compete against established textbook publishers. This year’s survey results confirm that the OER movement has made significant progress in OER awareness as well as recognition of the impact of OER in the next 3-5 years.

https://www.ccdaily.com/2022/02/staff-shortages-a-barrier-for-distance-ed-during-covid/

Professors turn to free class materials as part of push to scale back on expensive textbooks - Henry Huvos, GW Hatchet

The University is transitioning to open source materials as part of a push to ease the burden of high textbook costs many students face. Some professors have started providing free class materials in their own curriculum, coinciding with a grant for faculty to start using free open-source learning materials next year. Officials are also paying students through a “buy back” program to alleviate GW’s $1,400 annual projected textbook cost as part of a broader push to make class materials more affordable.

https://www.gwhatchet.com/2022/02/14/professors-turn-to-free-class-materials-as-part-of-push-to-scale-back-on-expensive-textbooks/

KU LIBRARIES ANNOUNCE THE 2022 TEXTBOOK HEROES COHORT IN CELEBRATION OF OPEN EDUCATION WEEK, University of Kansas

In celebration of Open Education Week, which is March 7-11, the University of Kansas Libraries and the Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright have announced the 2022 Textbook Heroes cohort. Textbook Heroes are members of the KU community who have taken extraordinary initiative to increase access to and affordability of required course materials by implementing and advocating for Open Educational Resources (OER) and other low- and no-cost course materials.

http://news.ku.edu/2022/03/09/ku-libraries-announce-2022-textbook-heroes-cohort-celebration-open-education-week