On March 6, NC Libraries and Learning Commons will provide NC faculty with the opportunity to learn about Open Educational Resources (OER) through a panel discussion as part of Open Education Week (March 6 to 10).
OER are free, open- source, digital teaching and learning materials that can be used as an alternative to traditional textbooks. They are considered part of the public domain or, part of the Creative Commons, meaning they can be distributed without normal copyright restrains.
Taking place on March 6 from 10: 30 to 11:30 a.m. via zoom, the NC Libraries and Learning Commons panel discussion entitled, “Zero Textbook Cost Experiment: Down the OER Rabbit Hole,” will examine how faculty from the Pre-Health Sciences Program were tasked with trying to make the program a zero textbook cost degree in 2022. Many of these professors were given full or partial course releases, partially funded by a library grant, in order for them to adopt, adapt or create OER for their program areas.
During the panel discussion attendees will hear from three of these professors, Amanda Johnson (Professor of Communications), Lori Miani (Professor of Biology) and Jeffery Timko (Professor of Math), as they discuss their transition to the world of teaching with OER.
OER are growing in popularity at Ontario’s colleges and universities and NC Libraries and Learning Commons staff have seen a growing interest in OER among NC faculty in recent years.
“There has been a definite increase in the use of OER at Niagara College,” said Siscoe Boschman, Library Facilitator Information Literacy. “When we started celebrating Open Education Week in 2020, very few people knew what they were or were using them in their classroom. Now, three years later, many more professors are using or creating OER for their students.”
“Our job, as Library Facilitators, is now less about educating the public on what OER are, or on the fact that they can be high quality resources, and more about helping people with that business of adopting, adapting or creating OER, such as supplying copyright assistance for those wishing to create their own OER,” continued Boschman.
NC Libraries and Learning Commons panel discussion is part of a larger group of discussions and seminars taking place across Ontario college’s during Open Education Week.
In addition to the panel discussion, NC Libraries and Learning Commons is also highlighting its Open Education Week subject guide, which includes an online open textbook petting zoo, where browsers can take a look at quality, affordable alternatives to traditional textbooks, as well as Open Textbooks that have already been adopted, adapted or created at Niagara College.
Faculty interested in attending “Zero Textbook Cost Experiment: Down the OER Rabbit Hole,” can register on the NC Libraries and Learning Commons Event Brite page.
