Open Education Resources

Open Access 2023: Community over Commercialization

Elizabeth South, oer, open access, Open Education Resources October 16, 2023 Library Resources mdilwort

International Open Access Week is October 23-29 and the theme for 2023 is Community over Commercialization, raising awareness on the importance of communities having control of knowledge sharing systems so they can have access to the data and information they need to collectively fight climate change, inequality, and effectively enact public health policies. “Openness can create pathways to more equitable knowledge sharing and serve as a means to address the inequities that shape societies and our response to them.” (International Open Access Week, Theme). As you review the resources and information listed in this blog, the International Open Access community encourages you to consider the theme to this year’s Open Access Week and think critically about which approaches to open … Continued

Who Uses OER at IU East? — Open Education Week 2023

Elizabeth South, faculty, oer, Open Education Resources, textbooks February 27, 2023 Website mdilwort

Due to the rising costs of higher education, textbook affordability is a particular area of hardship for many students. With limited funding, students may have to choose what is essential to their well-being and education and because of this, many students forgo buying required textbooks or other course material. This often results in poor grades or failing or dropping out of the course (Yano & Myers, 2019). To combat this issue, Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives have been growing among many higher education institutions, including Indiana University East. In support of Open Education Week (March 6-10th) 2023, the Campus Library is highlighting IU East faculty who currently use OER textbooks and resources in their classes. Humanities and Social Sciences … Continued

Study Abroad with Open Access (OA)

Elizabeth South, international, open access, Open Education Resources December 12, 2022 Programs mdilwort

It’s important for IU East students to gain a global perspective and one of the best ways to do that is to participate in one of IU East’s many study abroad experiences. The IU East Campus Library provides access to many databases that focus on different cultures and places from around the world and at various points in time. However, we also want to contribute to a culture of open learning and research sharing by providing a list of open access resources inspired by the upcoming study abroad courses at IU East. Open access is an international movement that seeks to grant free and open online access to academic publications, allowing anyone to be able to download, read, and disseminate … Continued

Supporting OER in the Classroom

Elizabeth South, Open Education Resources November 14, 2022 Website mdilwort

The Campus Library and the Center for Faculty Development have collaborated to offer the Course Material Transformation Fellowship. The 2022-2023 school year is the first year this fellowship is being awarded at the IU East Campus. Modeled after the IUPUI and IU Bloomington’s Libraries program of the same name, this fellowship supports instructors in their efforts to adopt and create affordable course materials, including open educational resources (OER), library licensed content, and open access materials. This fellowship is being offered in response to the 2021-2023 IU East Campus Strategic Initiative encouraging the use of open educational resources and textbook alternatives under the Enrollment & Student Success focus area. The Fellowship Program aims to: Lower the cost of college for students … Continued

Open Educational Resources (OER): Adding Diversity and Inclusion to the Classroom

diversity, Elizabeth South, multicultural, Open Education Resources January 17, 2022 outreach, Website mdilwort

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day of reflection and inspiration. It has us thinking more closely about equity and inclusion in our work in the library, and in particular, how we can support classroom endeavors in this cause. One way we can do this is to support the use and development of Open Educational Resources. We often discuss how Open Educational Resources (OER) can be easily adapted to suit the needs of the students and the instructor and how they can be a more affordable (free!) option for students in comparison to traditional textbooks. However, it is also important to highlight that because OER can be remixed, revised, and shared freely, they can be used as an agent … Continued