Open Ed Week 2021: Tackling ZTC/OER Challenges
by UAA Textbook Affordability |
Open Ed Week 2021: OER - The Gift of Flexibility
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Tackling ZTC/OER Challenges
For many faculty, the transition from commercial to Open Educational Resources (OER) can be as seamless as transitioning from any commercial text to another. However, in some niche specialty areas, OERs are hard to find. Under those circumstances, faculty may need to be creative, to be a pedagogical pioneer — to adopt OER or zero cost course materials. Our authors today highlight the strategies and benefits of switching to ZTC/OER even when the transition is challenging!
Corrie Whitmore
UAA Division of Population Health Sciences
What if there isn’t an OER for you to adopt?
As an instructor I was eager to adopt OER materials for my courses, but disappointed to find they didn’t exist. Clearly there’s a niche, if I want to write a textbook, but I don’t have time for that right now. Does that mean I need to stick with a commercial textbook? No!
Click here to learn more about Corrie’s course transformation!
Robert Henderson
UAA Justice Center
Being a Pedagogical Pioneer
Long before adopting OER for my course, I decided to focus my course (Criminal Law) on Alaska-specific issues instead of highlighting national trends and overall system challenges. As I redesigned my course with Alaska-specific materials, I found that I relied less and less on the commercial text. OER allows me to teach the course in the manner that I envision, but without the self-imposed guilt associated with a commercial textbook. I fully encourage everyone to explore the benefits of OER.
Click here to learn more about Robert’s course transformation!
Interested in joining 80+ UAA faculty who have adopted OER or other zero cost course materials? Do some initial searches or schedule a meeting with D’Arcy Hutchings to see what current OER and ZTC options exist for your courses.
Interested in making a difference but you’d rather not go it alone? The Textbook Affordability Fellows program has provided structured support and $2,500 compensation to 19 UAA faculty who have transitioned from commercial to ZTC/OER course materials over the past 2 years.
Learn more about UAA’s Textbook Affordability initiative.
Participating in the global Open Education Week is part of UAA's Textbook Affordability initiative to make college more affordable. This series will provide you with practical tips and inspiration for improving student success by reducing the cost of course materials and incorporating open educational practices.
Join us tomorrow for “ZTC/OER as Part of a Student-Centered Major.”
"Open Ed Week 2021: Tackling ZTC/OER Challenges" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.