AMS Announces Call for Nominations for Leaders in Open Learning
By AMS on October 1, 2020 in UBCV, Updates
The
UBC Alma Mater Society (AMS), alongside other University sponsors, is excited to announce that this fall it will be honouring those members of the UBC community who created or used Open Educational Resources (OER) in response to moving UBC courses online. The call is now open for students and other members of the UBC community to nominate “Leaders in Open Learning” — the faculty, staff, and administrators who work to support affordable and inclusive access to learning materials— to be acknowledged online this fall.
OERs are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. OER include textbooks, full courses, course materials, modules, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.
Using OER is a great strategy for online course content. It:
- Makes it easy for instructors to provide meaningful, contextualized resources for their student:
- May be used, edited, or adapted without fear of copyright infringement
- Can change content to suit student needs, teaching method, curriculum
- Everyone can be included for content additions, updates, improvements
- OER can be used as an agent of change for diversity, equity, inclusion
- Saves instructors time and money:
- No need to gain permission–or pay–to use, copy, or distribute OER
- Easy to circulate among an unlimited number of students
- Save students time and money:
- Online versions are free to students (and instructors)
- No access code needed
- No expiration date
The AMS has been advocating for OER implementation at UBC for quite some time, and over the years it has been privileged to witness how the hard work of those who work in OER has benefited students. The average student at UBC spends $884 dollars on textbooks and other course materials over the school year. This significant amount, combined with students having to bear many other financial burdens — including tuition, housing, and general cost of living — means that students are forced to sacrifice important aspects of their academic experience to remain at UBC. Seventy percent of students at UBC report using either outdated textbooks or going without a textbook due to cost. A further 21% of graduate students and 20% of undergraduate students(said that they may not be able to come back to UBC due to financial reasons. While “open” is the goal of OER, this does not mean the same thing as “free”; instructor time and efforts are significant costs that go into the development and adoption of OER.
The UBC community members the AMS wishes to honour at this event are true champions of equitable accessibility. They know that all students at UBC should be able to utilize course materials regardless of their socio-economic standing. Each (often unpaid) hour they dedicate towards OER leads to fewer students facing the significant financial burden that accompanies accessing course materials.
So — do you know someone at the university who has bettered your or others’ experience at UBC with their work on OERs? Be sure to nominate them via the simple form below so that they can be recognized and appreciated for the amazing work they do! Nominators may also have a chance to attend the event.
Nominate a Leader in Open Learning!
The call for nominations will close on October 30th. You may also wish to read and sign this AMS open letter encouraging the use of OER at UBC:
https://open.ubc.ca/an-open-letter-to-ubc/
Read More | No Comments