Welcome to Open Educational Resources & Practices at UT

This innovative course on Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) is a collaborative initiative brought to you by Utah Tech University's Center for Teaching & Learning and its Library and Learning Services. Aligned with the strategic plan's goals of evolving into an open, inclusive, comprehensive, and polytechnic institution, this course plays a significant role in achieving the objective of open education. The goal of Utah Tech University for open education includes open access, open educational resources, open educational practices, recognition of formal and informal learning, collaboration with communities, and promotion of open science, scholarship, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This OER course directly addresses two of the open access tenets, open educational resources and open educational practices. For more on all the open education tenets see the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Page 21.

Primarily involving new full-time faculty members and soon to be available to all faculty, this course serves as a critical introduction to the world of OER and OEP. It aims to clarify and illuminate the essential role of these open practices in contemporary education, aligning with our strategic goals of openness and inclusivity. Participants will immerse themselves in learning the fundamentals of OER, including its definition, key components, and the numerous benefits it brings to the educational landscape.

The course content is designed to provide a foundation in OER and OEP, using a diverse array of introductory resources to meet the overall goal of Open Education. This approach ensures that all participants, regardless of their prior exposure to OER, will gain an understanding of its significance and applications. By engaging with this course, faculty members will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to Utah Tech University's mission of becoming a leading polytechnic institution that values and integrates open and inclusive educational practices.

Objectives

- - Upon completion of the course, learners will define Open Educational Resources (OER) and accurately identify benefits of using OER for faculty and students.
  - By the end of this course, learners will be able to accurately identify and explain the fundamental principles of copyright laws as they pertain to the use and distribution of Open Educational Resources. The learner will be able to accurate identify material that has copyright protection and cite it properly.
  - Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to identify the distinct types of Creative Commons licenses, describe license allowances and accurately attribute a creative common license.
  - Upon completion of the course, learners will be skilled in locating and accessing relevant OER materials within their field, demonstrating this by using at least three different OER repositories or search tools.
  - Learners will be able to assess the quality and relevance of OER materials upon completion of this module, applying a set of predetermined criteria to a range of provided OER materials.
  - Learners will complete steps to adopt, adapt, or create OER materials for their discipline, following practical strategies presented in the module, by completing template for either adopting, adapting or creating material.
  - Learners will identify personal content they could share as an Open Educational Practices, identify the appropriate Creative Commons license and preparations of material needed to share it upon completion of this module
  - Upon completing this course, learners will be able to identify institutional support services for implementing OER and OEP, such as instructional design assistance or professional development opportunities. Additionally, learners will articulate and reflect on specific challenges and opportunities they anticipate in implementing these practices.

Your Instructor

Emma Lanners

Teacher

Emma.Lanners@utahtech.edu

(*if you have any feedback or issues (i.e. links not working, etc.) please don't hesitate to reach out.)

Course Format

This introductory course on Open Educational Resources (OER) at Utah Tech University is meticulously designed into seven modules, each taking approximately 1.5 hours to complete. The course starts with the definition of OER and it's multiple benefits to faculty and students. Then moves on to Creative Commons Licenses, a crucial aspect for the ethical and legal use of educational resources. Faculty members will develop the ability to discern and interpret various license types, an essential skill for the responsible use of OER. Additionally, the course provides strategies to effectively locate and access OER materials, guiding participants through various repositories and search tools to find resources relevant to their teaching fields.

Furthermore, the program places strong emphasis on the evaluation and practical application of OER. Faculty will be trained to assess the quality of OER materials using established criteria, aiming for the integration of high-quality resources in their teaching. The course also includes modules on adopting, adapting, and creating OER materials, allowing faculty to customize resources to suit their unique teaching needs and contexts.

An integral part of the course is exploring Open Educational Practices (OEP) and understanding the support available at Utah Tech University. Participants will delve into different definitions and applications of OEP, learning to incorporate these practices into their teaching methodologies. The course highlights the university's support systems, such as instructional design assistance and professional development opportunities, thus fostering a supportive environment for the implementation of OER and OEP.

Designed for steady engagement, the course allocates approximately two weeks between each module, with a break during the spring season for added convenience. The structure allows flexibility, enabling faculty to progress at their own pace, with a final submission deadline of May 17, 2024. This course is not just an educational endeavor; it's an opportunity to enhance teaching methodologies through the effective use of OER, and we eagerly anticipate active participation and valuable insights from our faculty.

Start Course Here

Attributions

Library and Learning Services - Emma Lanners

Center for Teaching & Learning - Diana Maughan

Faculty Affairs - Bruce Harris

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

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