In 2018, I set out to create an open textbook for Consumer Behaviour. What began as a standalone project turned into an exciting “OER trilogy”: (1) an open textbook paired with, (2) an Instructor Ancillary Resource, accompanied by (3) a Student Anthology.
Consumer Behaviour is an undergraduate business course that examines consumer decision making and the marketing psychology influencing consumers’ perceptions, motivations, attitudes, and decisions. It is the type of course that provides opportunities for student self-reflection (since everyone is a consumer and everyone consumes advertising messages daily). There are currently no Canadian OER’s on Consumer Behaviour that could be adapted, therefore a new open textbook was created using a range of existing open content from the fields of marketing, business, psychology, sociology, and anthology. Additionally, this new open textbook was designed to centre the lived experiences of today’s consumers - students - while also making efforts to decolonize consumer behaviour by decentering whiteness and dominant culture perspectives wherever possible.
By engaging students in a number of open pedagogy projects, the textbook developed into the ideal platform to not just create, curate, and consume content, but to also co-author it with students. Open pedagogy practices enabled students to engage with the course materials in a way that reflected their own lived experiences and interests. Student-created materials, such as op-ed pieces, made space for student voice and relevant contextualization of the learning materials.
Surplus and complementary content found its way into the second part of this OER trilogy - the “Instructor Ancillary Resource” - where I provided step-by-step details on how to engage in open pedagogy practices with students. Since open textbook adoptions are typically more successful when accompanied by an ancillary resource, this second OER was developed to accompany the textbook and showcase a range of essays, case studies, and assignment guides for educators.
And finally, the “Student Anthology” represents the ultimate legacy project in this trilogy: this student-created OER (to be developed throughout 2021) will contain a range of consumer experiences captured by students and interview-subjects that reflect what life has been like as a consumer during a pandemic.
In this presentation for OpenEd21, I will share my teaching & learning journey from textbook creation to trilogy publication and highlight ways to collaborate and co-author with students while celebrating their contributions to open education, the public domain, and future learners.
After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify ways to engage students in open pedagogy practices/projects
- Locate models and guidelines for engaging students in OER projects
- Apply principles of ungrading and self-reflection in open pedagogy practices/projects
