Open Ed in a Minute ⏲ Students succeed with adaptation/creation of OERs

 

Welcome to our final topic in the ‘Open Ed in a Minute’ series! Today, we'll explore adaptation/creation of open educational resources (OERs) to support teaching and help your students succeed! 

About adaptation/creation of OERs 

OER publication across all disciplines is growing apace internationally and within Australia. Despite this, you might not find exactly what you need to replace your commercial textbook. Options to consider include adaptation of one of more existing OERs into a new resource, or creation of a new OER, potentially by repurposing existing lecture/subject content.  

Academic staff benefits 

• Subject issues 🧐 Address problems affecting your subject such as students not having access to their key resource from day-1, lack of Australian content, accessibility.
• Metrics 🔢 Use JCU Open eBooks engagement metrics to support career progression.
• Research 🔍 Conduct a research project on the OER and its impact on student success, gain new readers for your traditional research outputs.
• Pedagogy 🧑‍🏫 OER benefits can include adaptable content, high-impact-practice, renewable assessment, critical thinking and reflection, technology-enhanced learning, student-centred learning or co-creation with students.
• JCU 🏫 OER benefits include retaining JCU’s competitive advantage, meeting JCU objectives, improving student outcomes.
• Community 🏘️ Strengthen community connections with an OER, e.g., Sports Marketing, Why Play Works, A Yolŋu Philosophy Reader, Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation.
• Values 🫶 Align the OER with your values, e.g., sustainability, marginalised groups, innovation. 
• Internet as student 🎓 What do you want the Internet to learn in an AI world? 

The nitty-gritty

• Adapting an OER can be quick or slow, depending on the project scope and the quality of the OERs being adapted. 
• Selecting an open licence for the resulting work is a must. 
• Attributing third-party content utilised in the new OER is a must.  
• Integrating OERs with best practice learning and teaching approaches will enhance the student experience.

Get the ball rolling 

• Learn about JCU Library’s Textbook Affordability Project, 2024-2025. 
• Ask your Liaison Librarian for help and advice. 
• Connect with the Library Open Education staff to propose an OER project. 
• Stay up to date about textbook affordability and open education at JCU. Request to join the JCU Open Education SIG.    

We hope this has inspired you to consider OER adaptation/creation to enhance student success.  

This marks the last post in our ‘Open Ed in a Minute’ series. We hope you have found the series both informative and inspiring, and we look forward to supporting your move towards textbook affordability in your subjects!