Track Session Type
Sustainability: Grant Acquisition & Management, Sustainability, Engaging Student Leaders, OER for Resilience, OER Community Building, OER and Technology
Presentation Type
Presentation
OER Level of Expertise
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Audience
Faculty, Librarian, instructional designer, Administrator, Staff
Building Community: An Equity-Driven Approach to OER Foundational Skills
Session Abstract
This presentation will highlight the development and delivery of a learning community focused on OER and Open Pedagogy and the relationship between open practices and educational equity. We’ll discuss the impetus for its formation, the approach to scaffolding the content, and the collaborative aspect of its delivery. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of the symbiotic involvement of faculty, staff, and librarians as a means to share perspective and expertise. Moving the conversation beyond ‘just’ affordability will allow participants to consider additional aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in OER community building initiatives. Along with sharing an open resource adapted and developed to meet the needs of our community, we’ll discuss key takeaways, best practices, and lessons learned. Participants will leave the session with a renewed sense of the importance of campus-wide open community building.
Keywords
learning community, equity, collaboration, skill-building
Objectives of the Session
After participating in this session, attendees will be able to...
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design an OER Learning Community for their institution.
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clarify the importance of OER in campus support of learning, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Full Description of the Session
This session introduces a comprehensive Learning Community (LC) focused on leveraging Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Pedagogy (OP) to address the critical issue of educational equity. The LC focuses a spotlight on affordability, representational diversity, inclusion, and the cultivation of a sense of belonging within the educational landscape.
Targeting various stakeholders across campus, including faculty, instructional designers, and librarians, we’ll discuss how the LC tailored its design to accommodate diverse roles and interests. In addition, we’ll examine how the community placed emphasis on active, participant-centered learning and explored innovative approaches to designing communities that foster collaboration.
The LC’s content and structure catered to beginners with pre-readings presented in a user-friendly Pressbook that will be shared with attendees. We’ll discuss how sessions were formatted to include presentations, hands-on activities, and reflection, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging learning experience for participants. Sample discussion questions will be used as a means to engage the conference audience.
We’ll also highlight participants’ enhanced proficiency in finding, creating, and evaluating OER, and the acquisition of tools to center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) principles in OER/OP.
This presentation will also highlight the provision of ongoing resources for support and engagement, creating a sustainable framework for participants based on feedback. The presentation will conclude by delineating the next steps while envisioning the long-term impact of the LC on educational equity.
Participation through Zoom chat questions and Q&A will be encouraged. Attendees of various levels with an interest in community building are encouraged to attend.
Presenter Bios
Bethany Mickel is the Instructional Design & OER Librarian at the University of Virginia. Her work involves facilitating open education initiatives and collaborating with faculty, staff, and students on open projects. With a background in instruction design, her research interests include Universal Design for Learning, the intersectionality of information and media literacy, as well as project-based learning as a means of assessment. She is a passionate practitioner of inclusive design and pedagogy and seeks ways to make learning accessible and welcoming for all.
Emily Scida is an instructional designer in Arts & Sciences Learning Design & Technology at the University of Virginia. She supports faculty in integrating innovative pedagogies and learning technologies into their teaching. Her interests and experience include Open Education, ePortfolio pedagogy, inclusive pedagogy, and access and accessibility.
Publishing Permission
1
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Start Date
5-4-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 11:50 AM
Building Community: An Equity-Driven Approach to OER Foundational Skills
This session introduces a comprehensive Learning Community (LC) focused on leveraging Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Pedagogy (OP) to address the critical issue of educational equity. The LC focuses a spotlight on affordability, representational diversity, inclusion, and the cultivation of a sense of belonging within the educational landscape.
Targeting various stakeholders across campus, including faculty, instructional designers, and librarians, we’ll discuss how the LC tailored its design to accommodate diverse roles and interests. In addition, we’ll examine how the community placed emphasis on active, participant-centered learning and explored innovative approaches to designing communities that foster collaboration.
The LC’s content and structure catered to beginners with pre-readings presented in a user-friendly Pressbook that will be shared with attendees. We’ll discuss how sessions were formatted to include presentations, hands-on activities, and reflection, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging learning experience for participants. Sample discussion questions will be used as a means to engage the conference audience.
We’ll also highlight participants’ enhanced proficiency in finding, creating, and evaluating OER, and the acquisition of tools to center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) principles in OER/OP.
This presentation will also highlight the provision of ongoing resources for support and engagement, creating a sustainable framework for participants based on feedback. The presentation will conclude by delineating the next steps while envisioning the long-term impact of the LC on educational equity.
Participation through Zoom chat questions and Q&A will be encouraged. Attendees of various levels with an interest in community building are encouraged to attend.