Open Educational Resources – Tips & Tricks for Producing and Adapting

Emese Felvégi, Ariana E. Santiago, and Robert M. McCarn are hosting a workshop on Open Educational Resources at the upcoming E-Learn 2019 Conference. Their workshop will take place on Monday, November 4 from 1:00PM-4:30PM. We talked to them about reasons for attending E-Learn and the concept of their workshop entitled ‘Implementing Open Educational Resources – Tips & Tricks.’ In the interview for AACE Review, Emese, Ariana, and Robert talk about they are part of the AACE conference community, what participants will learn in their workshop, and what methods they are planning on using.

Is this your first time at E-Learn? What are you most looking forward to at this conference?

Felvegi: I’ve been attending and presenting at AACE conferences a little bit over a decade as a graduate researcher, then as a doctoral student, and eventually a faculty member in Higher Education. I’m looking forward to [finding the conference program…]

Santiago: This will be my first time attending E-Learn. Many conferences I go to are specific to librarianship, so I’m excited to be in a new environment where I’ll learn from a wider variety of people.

McCarn: This is the first time I will be attending and presenting at an academic conference outside of Houston. As an undergraduate student, this is a really amazing opportunity to learn a great deal from other people in the field and share what I have worked on.

Why did you decide to submit a workshop proposal?

Felvegi: We decided to go with the workshop format to show others how relatively painless the OER adoption and/or authoring process can be.

Santiago: We wanted to share our experiences with OER, allow plenty of time for discussion and reflection, and of course, allow attendees to get hands-on experience.

McCarn: I have had the opportunity to work on the implementation of OER as an Academic Support Assistant and see the process from a up-close perspective. We want to be able to convey how inclusive the adoption and implementation process can be.

What key insights do you hope your participants will take away from your workshop?

Felvegi: How quickly you can get going with OER if you’re adopting existing content…

Santiago: I hope participants leave the workshop with the tools and resources they need to continue engaging with OER – that may be adopting existing OER, creating their own, or telling colleagues about it. A personal action plan.

McCarn: I hope participants can take away an understanding of what OER has to offer them in terms of accessibility and customization, also with a feeling of ease and excitement for implementing their own instance.

What methods will you use during the workshop?

Felvegi: We will poll our audience to see where they are with OER and then we’ll discuss ane demo tools they can use. It’s going to be a very hands-on session!

Santiago: Participants will get hands on experience finding and evaluating OER, and we’ll have plenty of time for discussion. It will definitely be an active learning workshop!

McCarn: We will share important lessons learned in our own implementation and share some best practices based on experience.

Who should be coming to your workshop and why?

Felvegi: Everyone, of course! We welcome anyone concerned with student engagement, educational content development and dissemination, and textbook prices.

Santiago: I truly think there will be something for everyone in this workshop, because OER involves and affects so many people (students, teachers, administration, librarians, and other partners in student success).

McCarn: Anyone who has an interest in making education more accessible and open for all. Those who like easier, cheaper, and more customizable.