Here at Gleeson we have some amazing programs/initiatives surrounding Open Education and Open Access. Here are quick overviews of what these programs are and how faculty can best utilize them.
A Quick Overview of the Open Education Resources (OER) Program
In 2018, Gleeson Library | Geschke Center piloted a new program to increase the use of open (or free) educational materials in the classroom to alleviate the high cost of textbooks for students.
The need for a textbook costs solution was confirmed by a survey of students conducted by Deepshika Verma, Open Education Student Assistant. Over 400 students filled out the survey, and 83% of students answered “Yes” to the question, “Have you ever not purchased a textbook due to its cost?” 18.2% of students answered “Yes” to the question “Have you ever not taken a class because the textbooks were too expensive?”
Students also recognized faculty who were making efforts in this area. These faculty were then invited to apply for funding to better address this issue in their classes.
The first round of funding had three faculty participants: Bhavya Mohan from the School of Management, Giacomo Fiore from the Music program, and Jonathan Hunt from the Department of Rhetoric and Language. The report on their efforts can be found as a slide deck on the USF OER library guide.
We are now in our second round of funding for the 2019 calendar year. Many thanks to the faculty who engaged with this effort, the many OER supporters on campus, and the students who are passionate about their access to education.
A Quick Overview of the University of San Francisco Faculty Association (USFFA) Open Access Policy
Last spring, the University of San Francisco Faculty Association Policy Board moved to pass an open access policy “so that faculty can deposit their work in the institutional repository hosted by the USF Gleeson Library | Geschke Center in order to make our work available to the campus and the world.” (USFFA Policy Board minutes, May 2, 2018)
We here at Gleeson Library are excited to implement the first open access to be passed by any Jesuit institution and further the USF social justice mission in bringing equitable access to research to all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What do I do?
A1: Simply submit your pre- or post-print author manuscript (i.e., final draft) to the Scholarship Repository or email it.
Q2: Do I have to publish with an open access journal?
A2: Nope! You can publish wherever you want.
Q3: Do I have to be a USFFA member to participate?
A3: No, but the process is different. Send an email and we can help you look up your copyrights and the permissions around your work.
Q4: I don’t want to participate. What do I do?
A4: Let us know and we’ll give you a form waiving your rights and keep it on file. That’s it!
Q5: How does this work with copyright? Are you sure this is okay?
A5: The illustration below might be helpful in understanding how this works with copyright. Copyright transfers entail giving your work to the publisher, who then owns your work. By giving a non-exclusive license of your work to the university, you are still the copyright holder. You can sign a contract with a publisher for publication, post to your website, or use it in a new work. Many other institutions have adopted similar policies. Here you can see the full list of United States institutions adoptees.
