UA Cossatot made the OER Digest again! The OER Digest is a monthly newsletter for open education created in 2015 by Creative Commons USA, SPARC, and the Student PIRGs. While the primary audience is the OER community in the U.S. and Canada, subscribers come from around the globe.
UA Cossatot is listed in “Stories from the Field” right along with Michigan and Ireland.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM MICHIGAN: Northern Michigan University has established an Open Educational Resource (OER) Faculty Learning Community. This pioneering initiative is part of a two-year pilot program aimed at promoting widespread OER adoption across campus and facilitating professional development opportunities. Reflecting the university's commitment to accessibility, this community of faculty members is working to revolutionize higher education. Leslie Warren, interim associate provost and dean of Library and Instructional Support, remarked, "The open education resource movement is another way that faculty can remove barriers and support students." With Olson Library and the Center for Teaching and Learning leading the charge, Northern Michigan University takes pride in laying the groundwork for OER, striving to reduce textbook costs, enhance affordability, bridge equity gaps, and empower more students to successfully complete their degrees.
FROM IRELAND: Dundalk Institute of Technology’s National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education recently received an esteemed UNESCO Prize. Their work developing the National Resource Hub and Open Courses was recognized and applauded. One of the members of the team, Dr. Ronan Bree played an instrumental role in the development of the National Resource Hub, a user-friendly platform facilitating engagement with open educational resources across the sector. He shared how “The National Resource Hub…offers opportunities for anyone to submit and access open educational resources… in any form, and in any media format.” This hub makes accessing and sharing OER easier than ever. The goal of this project is to support Irish Higher Education and contribute to transformative education.
FROM ARKANSAS: Since launching its Open Educational Resource program in 2015, the University of Arkansas Cossatot has made strides in saving students textbook costs. The college has successfully saved students a total of $3,197,081.25 to date, with each academic year showing notable savings. Educational Resources Director and OER Specialist Relinda Ruth, who chairs the Arkansas OER Taskforce, stated “Saving our students nearly 3.2 million in textbook expenses is one way UA Cossatot shows its commitment to student success… we’re excited to look at more open educational practices like open pedagogies, scholarship, and educational technologies that will continue to make higher education more accessible to students.” As UA Cossatot prepares to begin the fall 2023 semester, an impressive 71% of courses will offer OER options, ensuring continued benefits for students.