Join our panel to hear from a diverse group of dedicated Canadian student OER champions on the work they have done to promote OER throughout our various post-secondary institutions. In recognition of the varied strategies and approaches student groups and associations have taken in relation to this work, we are proposing an Advocacy and Allyship panel, which would provide a space for us as student leaders from across the country to share a) our successful initiatives, b) the challenges we faced, c) our approach towards collaboration, d) our hopes for OER in the future.
We also hope to share some actionable steps that you as OER champions from the library, teaching, and administrative side can do to include student voices in Open Ed discussions moving forward!
OERs have become a huge advocacy point for many students and student organizations over the past few years. Students from different institutions have been working hard to champion OER in hopes of enhancing accessibility, affordability, and quality of instruction for their schools.
Across Canada, the rising cost of textbooks, tuition increases, and the COVID-19 Pandemic have only increased the barriers students face when trying to get their education, and thus, made the need for OER more urgent. When confronted with the synergistic attacks on accessibility, students have created deep and meaningful relationships with various stakeholders on campus such as librarians, teaching support staff, administrators, and more to make the case for Open Ed.
Because Canada has no federal department of education, student advocacy initiatives take on different approaches across various institutions and provinces. As a result, many successful initiatives like the creation of an OER granting competition, the creation of an OER student librarian position, regional OER repositories, new institutional awards recognizing excellence in OpenEd, #TextbookBroke campaigns, creating OER for use in classes, and many more have been started.
We hope you join our panel to hear about the exciting work we have been engaging with, and to ask any questions that you might have on strategies to invite student leaders to be a part of OpenEd conversations!
After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the exciting work Canadian students have been doing to pursue increased OER adoption
- Understand the collaborative nature of student OER advocacy
- Learn strategies to engage with student leaders in your own institutions
