University at Buffalo

Martha Greatrix

CC BY

With unlimited time and resources to devote to my area of interest I’d consider opening an “OER studio” on campus. It would be a “one stop shop” for faculty to come in, learn, explore, connect and ultimately – produce, partner, and share. This space would be welcoming and extremely casual. Newcomers would be encouraged to embrace ‘growth mindset’ through play, exploration, and partnerships. Ideally faculty would come in with no more than an interest in OER and leave with concrete visions of how they might proceed with an idea.

The studio would resemble a lab because it would include technology needed for faculty to transform existing OER into new mediums (audio, video, infographics, etc.) An emphasis would be given to keeping technology work flows simplistic enough so that software mastery requires only a reasonable amount of time with guidance. The space would not be a place where professional staff do things for faculty but a space where professional staff are comfortable being ‘guides on the side’ empowering faculty to create and adapt content in a variety of ways. Students would be welcome in the space via faculty invitation.

The studio would become known as a fun space on campus; a place where worries associated a new endeavor like OER adaptation and creation could be washed away. Technical assistance and creative input and guidance would be supplied. Support staff involved in the OER studio would include but not be limited to: instructional designers, librarians, those in the know about creative commons licensing, media producers, graphic artists, writers, and people who score high in the realm of ‘creative thinking’.  Core staff would be present in my studio, and ‘consultants’ from each department on campus would be available for “by request” conversations and coaching. This is an idea I could get completely carried away with!

Jessica Wiechec

CC BY-SA

Write the definition of OER in your own words, one strength and one weakness as you see it.

OER, to me, is the teaching and learning resources that are built and shared collaboratively.  These resources are fluid, changing and can be used by all of those who need it, changed by anyone who wants to contribute and shared again in a new, expanded form.

One of the strengths that I find to be the most important is the potential to affect the rising costs of higher education.  Many students experience financial hardships during their coursework, and often, they find themselves in a place where they have to figure out what to pay for and what they have to pass on.  In my own personal experiences, this would be books or course materials.  I would attempt to find free versions online of whatever I needed, but more often not, I would go without because I could not afford over $500 per semester of books.  OER provides the same top-notch quality and in some cases, better quality information free.  Taking that burden off students so they can concentrate on learning is paramount.

Although there are many benefits to OER, one weakness is that this is the first I have heard of OER and the accessibility to first class information.  I will say that students now are far more connected then I was during my undergraduate and even graduate studies, but the access to this information needs to be more visible then it currently is.  This would also benefit more faculty and staff to be able to reach out and collaborate with other members of our educational community if they are aware of what OER is and the benefits.

Joseph E. Patton

CC BY

1. Write the definition of OER in your own words, one strength, and one weakness as you see it.

OER are resources and materials of any kind that can be shared across the educational spectrum between instructors, students, and general researchers.  One of the greatest benefits presented by these resources are the impacts on costs to the individuals and institutions that engage in consistent research.  OER resources offer a tangibly cheaper method than traditional publishers and their models.  Likewise, without the traditional publishing structure there is an argument to be made that lack of established infrastructure for a sustained OER peer review process could leave some resources lacking.

2. Describe how you already use open materials in your class, sharing your content if possible.

While working on my library’s instruction team, we utilized a number of materials that had been created by the teaching staff to help guide the students through a number of research and citation standards.  The point of these materials was to share and engage our students to learn and understand the course work without the need for any traditional printed resources and price tags.

3. What you would do with OER or open pedagogy if you had unlimited time and resources?

Instructors, students, and librarians should be most concerned with creating distributing, and/or utilizing materials with information that is both accurate and up-to-date.  With this knowledge, creating an easily utilized open education resource access point would have the potential to be incredibly helpful to all involved parties.  Through this hub space anyone would be able to find and utilize materials and engage them with use of the five Rs.

4. Brainstorm ways that SUNY can help make OER or open pedagogy work for faculty, students, librarians and instructional designers on your campus.

The most significant way SUNY could make inroads on OER and open pedagogy would be to establish a shared infrastructure by which SUNY establishments could begin to construct a central space through which sharing and cooperation could take place.  This shared infrastructure could act as a microcosm of what the future of OER and open pedagogy could look like.

5. How is OER shaping your professional role as a librarian?

The potential of OER offers librarians in particular the rare opportunity to be ahead of the curve on the potential evolution of information distribution.  Traditionally, we have been playing a game of catch-up over the past 25 years in regards to technological and networking advancements, but the rise in interest and investment in OER could be the next great wave that librarians could not only ride, but also be the instigators of.  In this way OER offers the opportunity to librarians to reassert their role as information guardians and communication specialists.

6. How can OER foster communication and collaboration across campus?

By its own nature OER must be a collaborative medium through which to educate.  Though expensive and arduous, the traditional publishing process for materials lends an air of authenticity to the information and its presentation.  In order for OER to rise to this kind of recognized authenticity, there has to be a culture of collaboration and communication at the core of its production and maintenance.

7. How would an OER initiative align with your campus strategic plan?

The current strategic plan at this University it multifaceted, but some of the noteworthy aspects of this plan fit very comfortably into the aspects of OER initiatives.  There has been a great deal of effort put into projects and taskforces that will propel the status of the University as a leader and innovator on the national and international stages.  OER, which is still in the beginning stages, has the potential to be a game changing idea and practice that could elevate the status of this organization and its contribution as a leading public research institution.