Stanberry, K. (2022). OER Textbooks: A Helpful Tool for DEI Initiatives in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 22(8).
This is a policy paper that discusses the contributions of open educational resource (OER) textbooks to the success of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in institutions of higher education. DEI is often identified by universities as an institutional goal; however, it is usually addressed at the institutional level by large scale university initiatives and programs. The question addressed herein is how can faculty contribute on an individual level to the success of higher education DEI goals? One very practical tool that can help is the use of (OER) textbooks at the individual course level. Expanding student access to educational resources has the potential to make a significant contribution to the success of diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
OER & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) https://libguides.memphis.edu/open_education/DEI
https://davenport.libguides.com/oer/dei
Abawi, L., Cart, S., Lawrence, J. (2019). Opening Eyes onto Inclusion and Diversity. University of Southern Queensland.
Table of Contents: Introducing the key ideas - Differing childhoods: Transgressing boundaries through thinking differently - Celebrating diversity: Focusing on inclusion - Opening eyes onto diversity and inclusion in early childhood education - Fostering first year nurses’ inclusive practice: A key building black for patient centered care - Positioning ourselves in multicultural education: Opening our eyes to culture - Creating an inclusive school for refugees and students with English as a second language or dialect - Opening eyes to vision impairment: Inclusion is just another way of seeing - Setting the scene: The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural perspectives in education (the danger of the single story) - Conclusion
Owen, S. (2023, March 30). Using OER for equity and more. Community College Daily.
I recommend that all educators explore ways to incorporate OER into their instruction or even look into the Equity and Open Education Faculty Cohort Model. Additionally, states and school systems should consider adopting the model in their areas. I hope that my journey with OER can inspire others to give it a try because it is truly one the best choices I’ve ever made as an educator.
Seibert, H., Miles, R., & Geuther, C. (2019). Navigating 21st-Century Digital Scholarship: Open Educational Resources (OERs), Creative Commons, Copyright, and Library Vendor Licenses. Serials Librarian, 76(1–4), 103–109.
Digital scholarship issues are increasingly prevalent in today's environment. We are faced with questions of how to protect our own works as well as others' with responsible attribution and usage, sometimes involving a formal agreement. These may come in the form of Creative Commons Licensing, provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act, or terms of use outlined by contractual agreements with library vendors. Librarians at Eastern Carolina University and Kansas State University (K-State) are among several university libraries now providing services to assist with navigating these sometimes legalistic frameworks. East Carolina University Libraries are taking initiatives to familiarize faculty, researchers, and students with Open Educational Resources and Creative Commons Licensing. At K-State, librarians in digital scholarship and electronic resources identified the overlap of their subject matters through their correspondence regarding users' copyright and licensing questions; a partnership formed, and they implemented a proactive and public-facing approach to better meet user needs and liability concerns at a major research university.
UNESCO. (2011). Guidelines for OER in Higher Education
Open educational resources (OER) are materials used to support education that may be freely accessed, reused, modified and shared. These Guidelines outline key issues and make suggestions for integrating OER into higher education. Their purpose is to encourage decision makers in governments and institutions to invest in the systematic production, adaptation and use of OER and to bring them into the mainstream of higher education in order to improve the quality of curricula and teaching and to reduce costs.
Jenkins, J. J., Hannans, J., Sanchez, L., & Leafstedt, J. (n.d.). Textbook Affordability and Student Success for Historically Underserved Populations at CSUCI.
The soaring cost of college textbooks has been well documented.
1 The negative effects of these
rising costs have also been well established: from decreased access to higher education to
increased time-to-graduation rates.
2 As an alternative to traditional course materials, open
education resources (OERs) are shown to be equivalent in academic quality, student satisfaction,
and student learning outcomes.3 Despite OERs’ potential to offset the negative effects of rising
textbook costs, no research to date has focused on OERs among historically underserved student
populations.
4 For each of these reasons, CSU Channel Islands’ openCI initiative recently
completed a campus-wide study of over 700 undergraduate students. Statistical analysis
revealed textbook prices to be a significant educational barrier for all CSUCI students, with a
disproportionately negative effect among racial/ethnic minorities, low-income students, and
first-generation college students. These results suggest a potential lack of navigational capital 5
among CSUCI’s historically underserved students, while also challenging each of us in higher
education to remove unnecessary financial barriers to our student body’s academic success.
Peet, L. (2020). Faculty Textbook Affordability Survey. Library Journal, 145(2), 10–12.
The article discusses the interest of campuses throughout college and university libraries to the results of the 2019 Textbook Affordability Survey sponsored by Taylor & Francis Group and published by the "Library Journal." Topics include one of the survey's primary areas of focus, differing perceptions on the degree course material affordability that is an issue for their institution, and barriers to digital resource information.
SUNY OER Services. (n.d.). Understanding OER.
SUNY OER Community Course covering the basics and more in-depth information about OER. Includes quiz, discussion questions, further reading, and more.
[OER]. Elder, A. (2021). The OER Starter Kit.
This starter kit has been created to provide instructors with an introduction to the use and creation of open educational resources (OER). The text is broken into five sections: Getting Started, Copyright, Finding OER, Teaching with OER, and Creating OER. Although some chapters contain more advanced content, the starter kit is primarily intended for users who are entirely new to Open Education.
Walz, A., Jensen, K., & Salem, J. A., Jr. (2016, July). Affordable Course Content and Open Educational Resources. SPEC Kit 351. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries.
This SPEC Kit explores the degree to which ARL member institutions advocate, support, and develop affordable course content and open educational resources (ACC/OER). This study gathered information on ACC/OER initiatives at the institutional level and the role of the library in these initiatives. The research examined initiatives’ origins, implementation, governance, and funding; incentives for faculty participation; and the types of affordable/open course content that have been developed. The survey also explored library support of ACC/OER activities with staffing and services.
This SPEC Kit includes examples of library and institution ACC/OER webpages; educational events; incentive programs; resources adopted, adapted, or created; and job descriptions.
[OER]. BCcampus OER Production Team. (2021). Getting started: OER publishing at BCcampus. BCcampus.
This resource provides an overview of everything you will need to know when creating an open educational resource (OER) that will be published by BCcampus. It provides a high-level overview of things to keep in mind as you work on your project and links to resources that go into more depth so you can easily find the information you need.
