Creating Engaging Assignments with OER 2019 MI OER

Creating Engaging Assignments with OER 2019 MI OER Summit Brandon Anderson Delta College

Purpose and Benefits? • When you hear the phrase “Open Educational Resources, ” what comes to mind?

Engagement • Now think about the term “engagement. ” What do we mean when we say we need to make something “engaging? ”

Utilizing OER Benefits • For Students • Money saved Challenges • For Students • Access increased • Could be access barriers (technology) • Resources broadened • Varying technology skills • Engagement increased • Forces use of internet or technology based materials • For Faculty • Eliminates frequent textbook updates • For Faculty • Constantly current • Time • Can tailor learning materials to your course • Understanding licensure • Expanded learning and sharing network • Fighting the fear of the unknown • Widely varying quality of material

Engagement • How do we/can we engage learners? q. Group tasks q. Learner-centered instruction q. Student agency (choice) q. Others?

• The connection between student engagement and student success is well documented. Learning, persistence, and attainment in college are consistently associated with students’ being actively engaged with college faculty and staff, with other students, and with the subject matter they are studying. • Recent research underscores this connection. A study using data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) shows that student engagement— in particular, the CCSSE benchmarks of active and collaborative learning and support for learners—is an important predictor of college completion. Center for Community College Student Engagement. (2013). A Matter of Degrees: Engaging Practices, Engaging Students (High-Impact Practices for Community College Student Engagement). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.

Content and Knowledge • Textbooks have long served as the standard means of “sharing” knowledge outside of the classroom. • The advent of the 21 st century classroom, however, has opened the possibilities for how knowledge can be shared.

Creative Commons • Global Nonprofit began in 2001 • “Enables sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge through the provision of free legal tools. ”

Open Educational Resources • By existing in the public domain through an open license, OER can be accessed without cost. o. Textbooks/e. Books (electronic books) o. Images, animations, graphics, etc. o. Software o. Lectures, presentations, class assignments

OER and Licenses Attribution: Creative Commons

Why OER? COST ACCESSIBILITY ADAPTABILITY CREATIVITY

Cost • Textbook costs in the U. S. have increased more than 1, 000% since 1977 (Popken, 2015). • This means students may… otake fewer courses. oavoid taking a specific course. onot achieve the outcomes of a course due to not buying course materials.

Accessibility • Since many Open Educational Resources are digitized, students can readily access them through computers, tablets, smart phones, etc. • Learning materials are portable.

Adaptability • Teachers/professors can integrate OER into their courses as they see fit. • Include what’s relevant, leave out what’s not. • Update and modify materials as needed.

Adaptability

Creativity • Depending on the specific license, users of OER can modify and “remix” materials. • Teachers can find inspiration from existing OER and create new materials.

Creativity

Evaluating OER Material • Similar to evaluating non-OER materials • Modifications and Adaptations can be made to improve evaluation o. Benefit over traditional materials

Bringing Civic Engagement Into the Classroom • Recent emphasis on civic engagement and democratic learning. • Supporting faculty promotion of civic engagement is one way community college leaders begin to place a focus on democratic learning. • Creation of “open” assignments which emphasize student civic engagement is one way to place importance on democratic learning.

Resources • OER Commons • Authoring tools • OER search tools • Open Textbooks: The Billion Dollar Solution

Questions? Thoughts?