We’re so glad that you’re joining us over the next 5 weeks.  In order to familiarize you with how the community will run, we’re providing some helpful information related to the structure of our time together.  Let’s dive in.

To expand each section, simply click on the + next to each heading.

About the Learning Community

This Spring 2025 learning community will support instructors, instructional designers, librarians, and others 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 improve educational equity in higher education by giving voice to those from underserved and historically marginalized groups. We’ll also discuss how GenAI is reshaping the OER landscape to customize materials at a rapid and responsive pace. By engaging in discussion and application of these ideas, participants will be ready to implement open educational practices into their teaching or instructional design contexts.

About the Facilitators

Each of us came to open education through different paths.

Bethany’s journey into Open Education was shaped by her extensive experience in instructional design and education. Before becoming an instructional design librarian, she developed educational content and taught English and composition at both the high school and university levels. Witnessing students struggle with costly and non-representative content inspired her to seek more effective methods for creating, licensing, and distributing learning materials. In 2020, she deepened her commitment to OER and Open Pedagogy at the UVA Library. Bethany was fortunate to join Emily as a member of the AAC&U Institute on Open Educational Resources during the 2021-2022 cohort, collaborating with World Language faculty and instructional designers from UVA.

Before joining A&S Learning Design & Technology, Emily was a faculty member in the College and over time became increasingly concerned with the financial barriers and lack of representational diversity of many traditional course textbooks. With funding from a UVA Learning Technology Incubator grant, she and other colleagues participated in the AAC&U Institute on Open Educational Resources and embarked on OER projects for their courses. In her current work as an instructional designer, Emily supports faculty in the College who are interested in exploring and integrating Open Educational practices into their teaching.  

What Can I Expect to Take Away?

Over the coming five sessions, we’ll be covering a lot of ground.  As with most things, engaging with open educational practices is an ongoing journey; however, we’ll help get you started.

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 OER.

What’s the Schedule?

There will be five in-person meetings during the Spring semester, from 12:00-1:15 PM in Shannon Library 330 (except for February 21 when we will meet in Shannon 321), with lunch provided.  You are welcome to arrive as early as 11:45 as we’ll try to have lunch delivered at that point.  Past attendees enjoyed arriving a little early to chat with other community members.
The following map provides a handy reference for where we’ll meet and the location of the closest restrooms.
For more specific directions:
*If entering the Library from the main entrance, you will find yourself on the 4th floor.

* Walk straight through the long corridor.
* Take the stairs on the right a descend to the 3rd floor.  Alternatively, there are elevators on the left side if you walk beyond the stairwell.

• If entering the Library from the main entrance, you will find yourself on the 4th floor.
• Walk straight through the long corridor.
• Via stairwell: Take the stairs on the East Wing (right side)
  • Descend to the 3rd floor.
  • Head to the back of the East Wing of the building to find 330.
• Via elevators:  There are elevators on the West Wing (left side).
  • Take these to the 3rd floor.
  • Exit and walk to the East Wing side, turn left and 330 will be at the back of the building.
    

We’ll be mindful of everyone’s time and start promptly at 12.  Please enjoy your lunch while we engage together.

Here are the meeting dates and topics.

January 31 – Foundations of OER and Why OER Matters

February 7 – Discoverability and Evaluation of OER

February 14 – Open Pedagogy

February 21 – [meeting in Shannon 321] Optimizing OER for ALL Learners

February 28 – Copyright Considerations & GenAI

What’s the Session Structure?

We kick things off with lunch (yay!). If you have any dietary needs or food sensitivities, please make us aware.  We’ll try to have lunch in the room by 11:45 and you are welcome to come a little early if you’d like to eat prior to the start of each session.

We embrace a flipped classroom approach to the community.  In order to make the most of our time, we’ll be asking you to read the corresponding part of this OER in advance of each session.  During our community time, we’ll be discussing the weekly topics and engaging in hands-on application of the concepts.

YOU have a vital voice in the community and we look forward to the unique perspective every participant brings.  Whether you are a faculty member, instructional designer, librarian, or someone curious about open educational practices, YOU are an important member of our group and we’re so happy you are here.

How Much Time Do I Need to Spend in Advance?

We’ve designed this resource with the hope that each section will provide enough information to jumpstart our community discussions without overburdening participants.  Each week, please plan to spend between 30 minutes-1 hour reading and engaging with the content.

You may find particular areas of interest and wish to dive deeper.  If you surface resources you feel may be valuable additions, please do let us know!