Preface

These resources have been created in support of a curriculum for a learning community centered on OER and Open Pedagogy facilitated by the University of Virginia. This is the second iteration of the learning community and guide.

The materials have been divided into week-by-week segments to provide participants with ‘pre-work’ to scaffold the community discussions.  A further description of the structure of the learning community follows.  These materials are designed to be used in support of a similar community or viewed as a ‘primer’ for an introduction to OER and Open Pedagogy.

Learning Community: Improving Equity through Open Educational Resources

This learning community will support instructors interested in exploring inclusive teaching through open educational practices. Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials offered freely and under an open license, providing more equitable access to learning for all students through the elimination of textbook cost, reduction of barriers to learning, accessibility for all learners, and diversity in materials and approach. In this learning community, we will explore how OER and Open Pedagogy, the practice of engaging students in the creation of content, have the potential to empower learners and increase equity in higher education by giving voice to those from underserved and historically marginalized groups. By engaging in discussion and application of these ideas, participants will be ready to implement open educational practices into their teaching.

Outcomes

As a participant in this community, you will be able to:

• describe the “5 R’s” of OER.
• describe the difference between OER and other free educational resources.
• examine the impact of OER use on student academic success, educational equity, and inclusion.
• discuss how GenAI is poised to reshape the OER landscape.
• choose ways to engage with Open (find, evaluate, remix, and create OER).
• distinguish the types of Creative Commons licenses.
• discover the pedagogical advantages of Open Pedagogy.

Takeaways

By the end of this program, you will leave prepared with the knowledge and skills to integrate OER in your teaching. You will leave the program with the following in your toolbox:

• Open resources to integrate into your own courses or professional work.
• Repositories and resources for finding relevant OER.
• Tools and criteria to evaluate OER.
• Strategies for effective GenAI use to support OER work.
• Resources at UVA and beyond to support your work.
• Outlets for sharing OER work
• Tools for publishing your work.

The authors welcome comments and feedback at ees2n@virgina.edu and bbm9u@virginia.edu.