Happy Open Education Week!
The Open Education Resources (OER) movement is a response to the high cost of textbooks and educational materials. This is the 4th year that we’ve celebrated Open Education Week at the University of San Francisco.
Here at Gleeson Library | Geschke Center, we’ve been hard at work not just one week a year, but throughout each semester to make education more affordable and accessible for our students.
What are some of the things we’ve done?
- We’ve surveyed students.
A whopping 83% of respondents said “yes” to the question, Have you ever not purchased a textbook due to its cost? - We’ve educated faculty and staff.
Workshops, webinars, and panel discussions have taken place each semester to inform and inspire folks on campus on topics like using Wikipedia in the classroom, copyright in the classroom, finding and using OERs, and learning about model OER programs across the country. - We’ve made resources available in the library.
Free and vetted textbooks created by organizations and individuals such as the Open Textbook Network and OpenStax are available in our catalog. - We’ve partnered with CTE and ITS.
OER is not just about free textbooks, but also about open pedagogy and incorporating technology in meaningful ways. - We’ve committed funding.
The OER Faculty Fund is a pilot program to encourage faculty to explore alternatives to traditional expensive textbooks. We’ve now completed 3 cycles of funding, and you’ll hear more about the participants tomorrow!
For more about OER at Gleeson Library or just in general, please see our resource guide at https://guides.usfca.edu/OER