Throughout the pandemic, the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education inspired many OER advocates to improvise, adapt, and try new strategies to reach instructors. COVID and remote instruction also put a spotlight on the barriers to success that many students — particularly non-traditional, underrepresented, and low-income students — have faced for a long time. How can we take the lessons learned this year and make sure that they continue to shape our outreach and offerings going forward? In the OpenStax Institutional Partner Program, OpenStax works directly with a small group of colleges and universities to expand their OER initiatives. In this presentation, several participants in the Institutional Partner Program will talk about what they learned about promoting OER on their campuses during the pandemic, and which ideas and strategies they’ll carry forward into the upcoming school year and beyond. Topics include the importance of ancillary materials, crafting a successful OER workshop, and partnering with student government. We’ll also hear from Barbara Gooch, a student at Volunteer State Community College, about what she hopes instructors remember about their students’ needs, even when instruction has returned to the classroom. Co-Presenters include: Sonya Bennett-Brandt, OpenStax; Barbara Gooch, Volunteer State Community College; Gabby Hernandez, UT Rio Grande Valley; Derrick Manns, Texas Southern University; Carrie Miller, Minnesota State University Mankato.
After participating in this session, attendees will be able to:
- Begin adopting and adapting the strategies discussed in the presentation to their campuses
- Understand and explain the ecosystem of ancillaries available with OER materials
- Understand what course materials and course structures many students prefer after experiencing online instruction during COVID
