These case studies are part of the DOERS3 Equity OER Blueprint, the overarching goal of which is to define, unpack, and explain the multiple dimensions of equity and foreground the role of OER in closing equity gaps.
The case studies provide exemplars and stories of OER work that seeks to advance equity, including but not limited to specific initiatives, projects, research, and analysis.
The case studies provide exemplars and stories of OER work that seeks to advance equity, including but not limited to specific initiatives, projects, research, and analysis.
Opening the Gate for STEM: WeBWork and OER in the Colorado Community College System
Sara Satkowiak, Open Educational Resources Fellow & Brittany Dudek, Director of Library and OER Services for Colorado Community College System
ABSTRACT
Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is dedicated to furthering student success through the adoption, adaption, and creation of open educational resources to reduce the cost of course materials and promote equity in the education of our students. However, students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes are often not the beneficiaries of these no-cost resources as many traditional, proprietary STEM textbooks also provide access to homework platforms via access codes associated with the textbook material. This case study will outline the specific challenges surrounding OER implementation in STEM disciplines and detail the efforts CCCS has made to alleviate this issue in its member institutions and Colorado Online @. Particularly, this case study will describe the funding, implementation, and expansion of the open homework platform WeBWorK into the math courses of many of the member institutions in the Colorado Community College System. The case study also describes the successful partnership of institutional faculty and the Colorado Community College System’s library that allowed for the development of STEM OER across multiple CCCS institutions.
Sara Satkowiak, Open Educational Resources Fellow & Brittany Dudek, Director of Library and OER Services for Colorado Community College System
ABSTRACT
Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is dedicated to furthering student success through the adoption, adaption, and creation of open educational resources to reduce the cost of course materials and promote equity in the education of our students. However, students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classes are often not the beneficiaries of these no-cost resources as many traditional, proprietary STEM textbooks also provide access to homework platforms via access codes associated with the textbook material. This case study will outline the specific challenges surrounding OER implementation in STEM disciplines and detail the efforts CCCS has made to alleviate this issue in its member institutions and Colorado Online @. Particularly, this case study will describe the funding, implementation, and expansion of the open homework platform WeBWorK into the math courses of many of the member institutions in the Colorado Community College System. The case study also describes the successful partnership of institutional faculty and the Colorado Community College System’s library that allowed for the development of STEM OER across multiple CCCS institutions.
| Opening the Gate for STEM: WeBWork and OER in the Colorado Community College System |
Affordable Learning Georgia and Accessibility
Jeff Gallant, MSLIS, MM, CPM, Program Director at Affordable Learning Georgia
ABSTRACT
Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) was established in 2014 to reduce the cost of textbooks to students. Originally, the pilot team pictured ALG’s flagship program, Textbook Transformation Grants, to largely focus on the adoption of existing open educational resources (OER), but this program surprisingly led to the creation of many new open resources. In addition, ALG partnered with the University of North Georgia (UNG) Press to create new peer-reviewed open textbooks for highly-enrolled courses where such open textbooks did not exist.
Despite required accessibility training and UNG Press compliance with university press accessibility standards, most of these resources did not arrive in an accessible format, so ALG needed to develop a plan to amend previous resources for accessibility and guide faculty and staff in creating accessible materials moving forward. This case study outlines six actions in Affordable Learning Georgia’s new accessibility plan, along with providing new accessible textbooks and templates which resulted from the initial work on this ongoing project.
Equity Dimension: Accessibility
Jeff Gallant, MSLIS, MM, CPM, Program Director at Affordable Learning Georgia
ABSTRACT
Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) was established in 2014 to reduce the cost of textbooks to students. Originally, the pilot team pictured ALG’s flagship program, Textbook Transformation Grants, to largely focus on the adoption of existing open educational resources (OER), but this program surprisingly led to the creation of many new open resources. In addition, ALG partnered with the University of North Georgia (UNG) Press to create new peer-reviewed open textbooks for highly-enrolled courses where such open textbooks did not exist.
Despite required accessibility training and UNG Press compliance with university press accessibility standards, most of these resources did not arrive in an accessible format, so ALG needed to develop a plan to amend previous resources for accessibility and guide faculty and staff in creating accessible materials moving forward. This case study outlines six actions in Affordable Learning Georgia’s new accessibility plan, along with providing new accessible textbooks and templates which resulted from the initial work on this ongoing project.
Equity Dimension: Accessibility
| Case Study - A New Accessibility Plan for Affordable Learning Georgia |
BCcampus and Accessibility
Josie Gray, MDes, Manager of Production & Publishing on the Open Education Team at BCcampus
ABSTRACT
This case study describes the work BCcampus Open Education has done to support the creation of accessible open educational resources (OER) in the province of British Columbia, Canada, and beyond. It describes the research and collaboration that went into the creation of the Accessibility Toolkit, a guide designed to support authors in creating accessible OER. In addition, it discusses how BCcampus has supported accessible design more directly, including by remediating existing inaccessible open textbooks and providing professional development opportunities to support others in creating accessible OER from the very beginning. The case study concludes by discussing the challenges that have come up with accessibility, including creating accessible equations, balancing the design considerations of print and digital formats, and making accessible design scalable.
Equity Dimension: Accessibility
Josie Gray, MDes, Manager of Production & Publishing on the Open Education Team at BCcampus
ABSTRACT
This case study describes the work BCcampus Open Education has done to support the creation of accessible open educational resources (OER) in the province of British Columbia, Canada, and beyond. It describes the research and collaboration that went into the creation of the Accessibility Toolkit, a guide designed to support authors in creating accessible OER. In addition, it discusses how BCcampus has supported accessible design more directly, including by remediating existing inaccessible open textbooks and providing professional development opportunities to support others in creating accessible OER from the very beginning. The case study concludes by discussing the challenges that have come up with accessibility, including creating accessible equations, balancing the design considerations of print and digital formats, and making accessible design scalable.
Equity Dimension: Accessibility
| Case Study - BCcampus’ Accessibility Journey |
The Ohio State University’s Racial Justice Grant Program to Increase Diverse Voices in Course Materials
Ashley Miller, Program Manager, Affordability and Access, Office of Distance Education and eLearning at the Ohio State University
ABSTRACT
Driven by a mission to increase access and reduce the cost of higher education for Ohio State students and families, the Affordable Learning Exchange (ALX) uses a multi-pronged approach to support faculty who wish to explore affordable alternatives to expensive textbooks. An OER grant program, inclusive access program, statewide OER authoring collaboration project and a free assessment authoring web-based tool all live under the ALX umbrella.
The Racial Justice grant was an addition to our grant offerings with implementation beginning in Autumn 2020. Winners of this grant are expected to include a racial justice component in their course, such as the inclusion of media authored by marginalized scholars, a reading list of relevant content citing Black authors, exercises prompting critical self-reflection and/or discussion, and/or the inclusion of an anti-racist framework for assessment. Grant winners are also encouraged to work closely with ALX and University Libraries staff to source content and are required to make these course materials available to students at no added cost.
Equity Dimension: Racial Justice
Ashley Miller, Program Manager, Affordability and Access, Office of Distance Education and eLearning at the Ohio State University
ABSTRACT
Driven by a mission to increase access and reduce the cost of higher education for Ohio State students and families, the Affordable Learning Exchange (ALX) uses a multi-pronged approach to support faculty who wish to explore affordable alternatives to expensive textbooks. An OER grant program, inclusive access program, statewide OER authoring collaboration project and a free assessment authoring web-based tool all live under the ALX umbrella.
The Racial Justice grant was an addition to our grant offerings with implementation beginning in Autumn 2020. Winners of this grant are expected to include a racial justice component in their course, such as the inclusion of media authored by marginalized scholars, a reading list of relevant content citing Black authors, exercises prompting critical self-reflection and/or discussion, and/or the inclusion of an anti-racist framework for assessment. Grant winners are also encouraged to work closely with ALX and University Libraries staff to source content and are required to make these course materials available to students at no added cost.
Equity Dimension: Racial Justice
| The Ohio State University’s Racial Justice Grant Program to Increase Diverse Voices in Course Materials |
The OER Equity Blueprint Case Studies by DOERS3 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY). The Blueprint welcomes additional case studies. Inquiries should be made to [email protected]
