Open Education Week is an international celebration of the hard work and success stories behind the idea of “free and open sharing in education.” For many students, this is a no-brainer: Textbooks are expensive!
So expensive, in fact, that many students don’t buy them, which has a real impact on classroom learning. Initially, the open education movement began with a desire to address the prohibitive cost of textbooks by using the power of the Internet. But as the movement has spread, many professors and students have found that having control over the material means better customizability, multimedia opportunities, and flipped classroom teaching. It’s been a win-win for everyone!
Here at the University of San Francisco, our librarians consult with faculty in order to flip their courses to the open education resources (OER) model by using library databases and vetted materials that are free online. We’ll be tabling at the Ed Tech Expo on Tuesday, March 28th from 9am to 2pm at the McLaren Center to talk about OERs and answer any questions.
If you can’t make it to the Expo, no problem! Students, faculty, and staff can contact Charlotte Roh at croh2(at)usfca.edu to talk further.