Academic library publishing of Open Educational Resources

Institutions and organizations perceiving the use and creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) as consistent with their values, experiences, and needs are developing partnerships in support of the creation and publication of OER (Bell, 2018; Hess et al., 2016; Jung et al., 2017; Schaffert, 2010). Open Educational Resources (OER) are "teaching, learning and research materials that make use of appropriate tools, such as open licensing, to permit their free reuse, continuous improvement and repurposing by others for educational purposes" (Miao et al., 2019, p. 9). Academic libraries are among the organizations advocating for OER, often playing a key campus role in education, advocacy, and support of their creation and publication (Bell, 2018; Lashley et al., 2017; Reed & Jahre, 2019; Sandy et al., 2018). Publication of OER resonates with the role of the academic library (Bell, 2018; Hess et al., 2016; Jung et al., 2017; Kleymeer et al., 2010; Reed & Jahre, 2019). Because "incongruence in perceptions" (Chtena, 2019, p. 24) can cause difficulties and unforeseen challenges with implementation and use of OER, organizations involved in OER initiatives need familiarity with how OER and organizational values align. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate how academic libraries enact academic library publishing programs and the ramification that has in the diffusion process of OER in higher education. Data collected in this single case study research project was analyzed through the lens of Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The findings from the study suggest that, if academic libraries are to enact the creation and publication of OER in ways appropriate to its conception, those involved will need to be intentional about ensuring enactment of the values foundational to OER. Future suggested research includes a multiple-case study comparative research study looking at academic library publication of OER, exploration of how opinion leaders and attributes of innovations impact academic library publication of OER, and investigation into the impact of organizational structure on the diffusion of OER creation and publication

Using diffusion of innovations theory to modify library OER interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The high cost of commercial textbooks has been well documented. To help alleviate the impact of those costs, the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Library identified exploration and support of open educational resources (OER) as a priority in their strategic plan. The OSU Library OER Librarian used human performance technology analysis findings to select and design interventions for inclusion in the library's support of OER. When OSU abruptly switched mid-Spring 2020 to emergency remote teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the library was faced with the need to modify interventions designed for face-to-face interaction to engage and support faculty instructors in online spaces. This chapter uses diffusions of innovations theory to describe how the library made meaning of and anticipated challenges and to share how the library designed and implemented modified interventions.Librar

Exploring the presence of marginalized populations in OER texts dealing with matters of EDI

The purpose of this research is to build on the growing body of literature that seeks to identify how often OER material used in higher education references historically marginalized groups in matters pertaining to EDI with an emphasis given to the contexts in which they are mentioned. The guiding research question of the study posits that EDI discussions within OER unintentionally place added emphasis on certain marginalized population groups while others are routinely overlooked.Educational LeadershipLibrar

Performance improvement technology for building a sustainable OER initiative in an academic library

In keeping with its land grant mission, a university campus library partnered with several OER advocacy efforts on both national and state levels to promote the creation and use of OER at the university. While the program had some initial success in inspiring faculty to create and use OER in their courses, the effort proved difficult to sustain. This paper presents the application of the Performance Improvement/HPT model to an Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative in a university library. This paper focuses specifically on three phases of the process: organizational analysis, environmental analysis, and gap analysis We share results of that application and discuss how the HPT model might effectively be applied to other similar programs.Peer reviewedLibraryEducational Technolog

Accessibility: Let's talk about it!

This round table will bring together all types of practitioners to talk about tangible ways we incorporate accessibility into every role, responsibility, and process. This discussion will be a space to learn alongside one another as we share accessibility best practices and resources. Bring your experiences, questions, and curiosity!Librar

Will academic library publishing break OER? A diffusion of innovations study

Academic libraries are among the organizations advocating for open educational resources (OER), often playing a key campus role in education, advocacy, and support of their creation and publication. Publication of OER resonates with the role of the academic library. Because "incongruence in perceptions" (Chtena 2019: 24) can cause difficulties and unforeseen challenges with implementation and use of OER, organizations involved in OER initiatives need familiarity with how OER and organizational values align. The goal of this exploration was to investigate how academic libraries enact academic library publishing programs and the ramification that has in the diffusion process of OER in higher education. Data collected in this single case study research project was analyzed through the lens of Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The findings from the study suggest that, if academic libraries are to enact the creation and publication of OER in ways appropriate to their conception, those involved will need to be intentional about ensuring enactment of the values foundational to OER. Future suggested research includes a multiple-case study comparative research study looking at academic library publication of OER, exploration of how opinion leaders and attributes of innovations impact academic library publication of OER, and investigation into the impact of organizational structure on the diffusion of OER creation and publication.Peer reviewedLibraryEducational Technolog

Open educational resources

This community presentation on open educational resources is adapted from slides provided by the Open Education Network. The content is modified for localization and purpose.Teaching, Learning and LeadershipLibrar

Unspoiled broth: A memorandum of understanding for chefs cooking up OER

Librar

Project management template for OER projects

Librar

Academic libraries and OER

The purpose of this presentation was to share how an academic library used available evidence and 'pragmatic perspective' (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016, p. 12) to help shape the open educational resources publishing program at a very high research institution. The presenter showed how the framework for Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016) was applied to a reflective comparison of the Libraries' pilot large-scale OER publishing initiative and a subsequent small-scale course revision initiative. While the large-scale OER publishing initiative followed strategies implemented at similar institutions, available data and personal 'working experiences' (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016, p. 12) suggested that the 'context and circumstances' (p. 14) in which the initiatives were being implemented required a more considered approach.The team involved in this iterative evaluative process included the OER Librarian, Instructional Design and Online Learning Librarian, the Libraries' Head of Teaching and Learning, and the Libraries' Associate Dean of Research and Learning Services. The practitioners brought professional knowledge in librarianship, teaching and learning, research, instructional design, learning science, and comparative research methodologies. Local evidence gathered to inform the assessment included quantitative and qualitative data gathered over the course of both the pilot publishing initiative and the subsequent course revision initiative. The data was analyzed through the lens of diffusion of innovations theory (Rogers, 2004) to answer questions regarding the comparative impact of the initiatives on the diffusion of OER and open practices at OSU.Quantitative data gathered included a rough calculation of return on investment over time for each grant dollar awarded, represented as savings experienced by students whose courses used initiative related resources in place of commercial textbooks. Qualitative data included feedback from both students and instructors involved in initiative related courses, as well as final and ongoing reports shared out by creators and designers whose work was supported by the initiatives. The assessment also considered continued OSU use of the resources as well how frequently associated courses were offered. Finally, the team determined that inclusion of information related to their personal experiences managing the projects and providing design support for authors and creators would provide relevant, authentic perspective helpful in evaluating what worked, what didn't work, and what lessons were learned over the course of the projects (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016).The climate in which this assessment took place played a crucial role in its effectiveness. The academic library centered their librarians' understanding, perspective, and experiences when evaluating existing projects and considering new initiatives. The librarians associated with the OER program had flexibility and support conducive to the creative questioning necessary to identify and solve problems (Csikszentmihalyi & Wolfe, 2014). The OER team had 'clear goals' and expectations (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016) informed by the findings of a human performance technology analysis previously applied to assess program sustainability (Essmiller et al., 2020). These goals and expectations provided markers which helped bring the evidence and findings generated through the team's reflective application of the EBLIP model into concrete use in designing, implementing and assessing future initiatives (Koufogiannakis & Brettle, 2016).Institute of Museum and Library Services (U.S.)Global OER Graduate NetworkOpen Education Global ConferenceLibrar