Elise’s OER Experience
The issue with OERs is that people do not know about them. There is a whole world of free and accessible learning materials that are just waiting to be mined.
Being in a position where I can understand the possible magnitude of Open Education is both exciting yet frustrating. Can you imagine if no one had to pay for textbooks? Can you imagine if knowledge and education was accessible to everyone, even globally? Can you imagine if more people shared their expertise openly and contributed to a wealth of knowledge? I believe our world would not only be more knowledgeable, but also more interconnected and cooperative.
One of my biggest takeaways from learning about OERs is that the Open Education community is the most helpful and accommodating community you can find. These are people that selflessly care about people’s access to knowledge. They are not out to scam you, veiling free resources as a way to make more money like other textbook monopolies. My favorite thing is when I start skimming an OER and see signs of the creator. For example, many OERs include a page or two about accessibility, explaining that they are there to help if you reach out to them. The connection between readers and authors feels more tangible in the OER world, which is paradoxical considering it is almost all online. I have enjoyed these comforting signs of humanity interwoven with sophisticated, professional, and accurate knowledge. I feel proud being in a community that is committed to the pursuit of knowledge, which I believe is integral to the functioning of our society.
I have also learned that so many different universities are on the same track as us. You can look up “OER Playbook” (one of our goals) and find ten different universities advocating for and supporting their community in OER implementation. It is comforting to read about other students and teachers fighting the same battle as us. We are not in competition with one another, but branching our paths into one.
With recent political events, it is important to face reality. Already, funding and support for education is decreasing. I feel this very personally in my two humanities degrees. Similarly, there are increased pressures (you could say threats) placed onto educators about what they are teaching in class. I believe that OERs could help mitigate these challenges, safeguarding the right to knowledge and education.
Over the past few months, Emma and I have dived into the world of OERs and other options for when it comes to course materials, like Leganto: copyrighted books supplied for free through the library. We have met with faculty members all around the library and after each meeting, I come away with a renewed vigor that this endeavor is so crucial, almost a duty to my peers.
Open Education is a movement that needs to happen and I am so happy that I get to be on the forefront, sharing my knowledge with students, teachers, and faculty!
