Abstract
A librarian-led Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focused on Open Educational Resources (OER) can be a practical, low risk way to sustain campus-based OER programs during and after initial start-up. Creating a space for sharing teaching successes and challenges is an important goal in the iterative journey toward open. The experiences and trust fostered in an FLC can help grow awareness of and commitment to adopting, deepening, and expanding a culture of openness. FLCs provide an opportunity to lean into open that enhances cross-campus relationships, identifies gaps, and emphasizes collegiality while moving toward enriched teaching and learning. They provide a launching point for sharing pedagogical practice, and a valuable venue for new ideas. Key strategies for planning, implementing, and assessing a multidisciplinary OER faculty learning community are highlighted. Practical advice is emphasized to support successful outcomes that can be easily replicated. Ten top takeaways are summarized from a year spent facilitating an OER FLC in a four-year, public, comprehensive college that included the shift to online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it concludes with suggested next steps for continuing the OER conversation among faculty, students, librarians, instructional designers, teaching and learning center staff, administration, and other stakeholders.
Highlights
The world of Open Educational Resources (OER) is growing fast and can be overwhelming for newcomers
4 Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal: 2021, Vol 1(1) 1-13. Those undertaking the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) facilitator role will do well to spend time beforehand reflecting on why OER is a relevant topic for their students, faculty, and institution
The OER FLC had ambitious goals and not all could be accomplished in a year
Summary
The world of OER is growing fast and can be overwhelming for newcomers. Getting started with OER, an instructor may feel like a lone voice in the wilderness. A librarian led OER FLC devoted to incorporating open teaching materials into college courses has many advantages. In this case, “materials” are all encompassing and include textbooks, videos, online sources and more. The project was part of an OER sustainability plan at a four-year public comprehensive college in its third year of a large statewide initiative to improve course material affordability. It involved faculty with different knowledge, experience, and comfort level with OER. Keeping the conversation going was important to ensure the program continued to develop, grow, and thrive
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