#OpenEd21

Open Educational Resources thrive on faculty effort. Providing a robust professional development and support program can help faculty decide to “go open,” but not every institution has the capacity to commit to a multi-year funded OER adoption program. We will describe the grassroots professional development program taking place at the University of Alaska Anchorage, ranging from the inception of our Textbook Affordability Initiative, the development of a cohort-model faculty professional development program, pursuing and securing federal grant funding, and the development of long-term partnerships to maintain the program. Program impacts will also be discussed with special attention to fostering Alaska Native student academic success through partnership with university partners.

When this session is complete, participants will be able to: (a) Describe the genesis and key elements of the UAA Textbook Affordability initiative (b) Understand the impact of contextual variables (i.e., institutional budget, global pandemic) on program development and delivery (c) Apply the principles of effective instructional design to developing a faculty professional development program (d) Describe the role of strong institutional partnerships in promoting program survival.

After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the genesis and key elements of the UAA Textbook Affordability initiative
• Understand the impact of contextual variables (i.e., institutional budget, global pandemic) on program development & delivery
• Apply the principles of effective instructional design to developing a faculty professional development program
• Describe the role of strong institutional partnerships in promoting program survival