McLennan Community College - OER Essentials PD Training, Spring 2024

Hello, everyone!

It's such a joy to see you all in class.

Jessica

1. I am in the position of preparing to teach a course online for the first time (Music Appreciation), so I figured it was a great opportunity to re-evaluate my approach to the course as a whole and incorporate OER as I design the onine course. I hope to gain a solid foundation in OER so I can find and evaluate materials more quickly in order to decide what to use and what not to use. I also hope that my course re-design, or at least parts of it, can then be shared and be useful to others who teach Music Appreciation.

2. I think my biggest limiting factor right now is time. I only have about a month to do the bulk of the course building. If I had even more time (and loads of cash wouldn't hurt either), I would love to write more of my own materials, but with the current constraints, I will have to live with using OER as much as possible.

3. I have liked the idea of OER for several years now. I have never loved the textbooks avaialble for my course and hate that the students have to spend 20% more to take my course in order to have access to a textbook that I don't really love using. As an adjunct, I have not been in a position in the past to choose my own materials, but I now have the opportunity, so I want to choose a way that I can be happier with and will encourage more students to take my class. I want all students to have the opportunity to take Music Appreciation because I belive learning about and understanding music is important for all, and I think having an OER course avaialble will encourage more students to take the class.

Peter, I love that you're taking this approach to teaching Music Appreciation!  In Spring of 2023, I took Bonnie Sneed's Music Appreciation course for Music Majors and enjoyed it tremendously!  We had a decent textbook, but she put a huge amount of her own knowledge and experience into our class and curated music videos to give us a wide variety of time periods and genres.  Considering that my field is in Crimiinal Justice and Forensic Science, I was proud of what I gained from the music class.  I just know that what you do will be great! 

It's not that I hate the textbooks, it's just that they often are too wordy, don't focus on what I want to focus on, and include way more than I need. Mostly the same reasons Jessica also points our below. I see one additional benefit of OER is that I can use sections from several textbooks if I want because the students don't have to pay extra!

Hi, Peter!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree absolutely that time is a big consideration. For me, that was definitely a concern when I switched to OER last year. In fact, I picked the OpenStax textbook because it involved the least investment of time on my part--there might be other resources I'd like even more, but I felt it was the 'doable' option for me.

I also agree with your point about not 'loving' the resources available from most publishers. This comes up with me when I choose textbooks for literature courses A LOT! Most of them have about 65 - 70% of what I want, but almost none of them have everything I need. Often, there's a bunch of other stuff that I don't teach at all, too. Why are students paying for that when we aren't going to use it? One of my goals is to find better OER options for literature classes, particularly courses that rely on material that's still under copyright.

Thanks again for sharing!

Jessica

Hi Peter,

I was a music major many years ago. Unfortunately, my talent for music did not equal my love for music but it still feels like a big of my identity. I do regret having never taken music appreciation and do hope to do that one day.

I don't think you will have any issues with finding materials to quickly put an OER class together. I did a search and was surprised to find that there are actually quite a few OER sources for music appreciation. Deciding which materials to use out of all the resources available may be a different story. A few that stood out during my search were the following: 

Understanding Music Past and Present which I found under Galileo Open Learning Materials 

Music Appreciation available as a Pressbook from LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network which I located on Merlot

1.  My goals related to OER are to learn the best use of these new techniques opening to me.  I hope to learn resources that will be convenient and inexpensive for my students to use.  As to my own growth, it will be beneficial to have these methods available to my fingertips. 
2. In order to achieve these goals, I do need time, knowledge, and skills, but do not need loads of cash.  One of the attributes of OER is free or inexpensive access to resources.
3. Priorities that guided me to my goals are a recognition of how OER can benefit my students and a realization that the OER trend will lead to expectations on the part of my students and institution that we teachers will be able to respond to their economically driven requests for lower cost books and resources.  My assumption, based on experience, is that students’ needs are for both lower cost resources and for the best uses of their time.  Time is a value for most people, I think, but post-Covid I’ve observed that students’ assumptions about time and money have changed from thinking that they must conform to traditional ways of doing things to wanting innovations that will give them wiggle room in their plans.

I agree that the new crop of students are becoming more aware of advocating for their time and money, as they should.  I think we can in most cases meet the students where they are at without sacrificing the quality of the course.  However, these adaptations are going to take time and effort on our parts, and I'm sure there will be associated challenges I haven't thought of yet.

Hi, Suz!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the need to support students and help them achieve their academic goals. Especially at two-year institutions and technical colleges, I feel that to remain competitive, we have to do everything we can to provide a rigorous education at the lowest possible cost. Other colleges across the nation are doing this, and they have seen results. To me, OER is an investment of time and labor on our part as faculty, but it's an investment that's entirely worth it in terms of job security and providing the best benefit to our students and community.

Thanks again!

Jessica

1.  I would like to start small by adapting one aspect of my courses at a time to OER.  At this point, I think I will be creating and/or remixing physics lab materials.  I hope to get more familiar with this process, so that I can continue to adapt these things in the near term.

2.  I think I need knowledge and skills, but  also need time.  Expense would exist only if I develop labs for which we don't already have equipment.

3.  I think making course materials more accessable (cheaper, online, etc.) helps with inclusivity.  I would like to begin to remove barriers to success from my classroom, especially when they don't relate to what the course objectives are.

Hi, Bernie!

Great point about inclusivity and OER! The last part of our course focuses on inclusivity in terms of OER materials, and I believe strongly that removing barriers to education aligns with MCC's mission and values. Just personally, it's also something I value a great deal, too. I remember that in my first semester of graduate school (for a humanities degree, btw), I had to buy this one book by Hazard Adams called Critical Theory Since Plato. It cost $190. Seriously! I'd paid big bucks for science textbooks back in the day, but I remember thinking, "Why are we using this book? All this stuff is really old! It's in the library..." I still have that book.

Also, I think lab materials are a great place to start. Several faculty I've heard from at training sessions have taken a similar approach, so you may be able to find some resources you can remix and adapt. I sure hope so!

Thanks so much for sharing!

Jessica

1. 

I taught OER or several years, beginning around the time the OpenStax textbook became available in 2013. Although, I was generally satisfied with my OER class, I decided to give inclusive access a try and have been using it for the past few semesters.

Unfortunately, I have felt a bit detached from the publisher's content and have had several students express a preference for my OER materials which I’ve continued to make available as additional study resources. My goal is to update and improve my existing materials and return to offering an OER class.

2. 

Time is the most important thing I could ask for in terms of achieving the goals. It would also be amazing to get a class release or stipend in order to teach fewer classes. This would provide time to develop something that our department could have the option to use and perhaps even participate in developing, if interested.

3. 

My initial desire  to change to OER was primarily out of frustration with technical issues with the publisher's materials. However, as I learned more about the OER movement and its value to my students, I became committed to its goals.

The values that informed my reflection have come from listening to my students. Although I have quite a few students who are unaware of textbook expenses, there are always at least a handful of students each semester who pay out of pocket for their classes and express appreciation for the free textbook and OER materials. Therefore, it enables access and equity. I also enjoy the ability to be creative with the materials in order to make them engaging, while customizing them to the specific learning requirements and needs of my students and classes. 

Hi, Shannon!

Thanks so much for your response. I couldn't agree more about the time investment--a course release would be so helpful for projects like this. Your journey into OER is quite similar to mine, too. I started looking into it just out of dissatisfaction with publisher materials (which are expensive, bulky, and still often don't have what you want), but the "Open" movement really aligned with a lot of my goals as a faculty member. For me, teaching at a community college is important because it allows me to reach students who have been marginalized in their education, for whatever reason. That's something I find really rewarding. Students who've done well and had a lot of resources to support them will probably do well with or without my help, but students who've never had the benefit of an instructor who works to support them need it to get ahead. OER is really part of that support.

Thanks again!

Jessica

My goal is to build out, and integrate, a full 1301-1302 progression with OpenStax's Writing Guide. Currently, I am using Writing Guide, but it is not integrated super well. Much of my 1301 is still using the model of Nick Webb's Writing is Easier Then You Think, but now the readings are from Writing Guide. I changed the essays a bit to include material from OpenStax. The other big change was incorporating an ePortfolio, which is where Writing Guide helped the most. I've never used ePortflios before as a teaching tool so it was nice to have a book that thought through that process. My student's first essays are due on September 20, and I want to accompy the first release of grades from those papers with a detailed discussion of using that first paper with the ePortfolio. 

I think the big thing that I need to achieve this goal is colleagues to talk with and time. Time is how I would acquire the knowledge and skills. I didn't have the appropriate time over the summer, with my kids at home, to play around with the toolkit that Openstax uploaded to my course shell on Brightspace. I had to build a British Literature course as well which consumed a bunch of time. 

In terms of priorities, cost is a big thing. I have this personal trainer (via CG) who also goes to MCC. For one of her science classes, she had to shell out 400$ for her textbook. That's a crazy amount of money. Last semester my IA textbook for 1302 was 30$ and I felt like that wasn't really warranted. OER just seems like the best option for my students. I just need to learn out to effectively wield it. 

Hey Christopher,

Thanks for sharing your exprerience.I am not familiar with OpenStax but would definitely like to learn more about it. So one of your goals to talk with your colleagues may be easily accomplished lol

I am also working on implementing an ePortfolio assignment as one of those high-impact practices. I really enjoyed what we learned with John at Faculty Summer Institute. In fact, I was really enthusiastic to try an ePortfolio assignment for my summer class and wanted to use Google Sites (just like we did for our final project), but to my great surprise, students told me that they could not use Google sites and showed me a message that said it was not part of college subscription. I did not have enough time to investigate it and still try to figure it out.

This is not OER related so I'll ask you this in person, but I'm going to post this here anyways. Google accounts are free so can't they just sign up for google and use that? 

Hi Christopher,

That's what I was hoping, but we could not make it work. Their email accounts are somehow linked with Google accounts, as they were saying. I did recommend to use or create another/ personal Google account, but it did not go anywhere, and I realized I needed more time to investigate this issue and decided to remove this assignment.

Thank you for your response!

Hi Christopher,

I am excited that you have experience with OpenStax and ePortfolio's. I would like to learn more about those. I, also, do not want students to not have the educational resources that they need and money should not be the barrier. I want to find top notch resources for my students and I know that this class (the students and professor) will help me figure it out.

Time is also precious. I have 2 kids and a husband that keep me busy so I am glad that this class is scheduled... every Friday for a couple of hours in the month of September... to help me stay on track.

Hi, Chris!

Thanks so much for sharing this week. I agree with you about using Writing Guide--it's a great resource, but it does take a little time to adapt it. For me, the ancillaries (PPT's and Toolkit files) were a big help, too. I also really like that students can use it from the first day, instead of waiting for an access code.

And, kudos for incorporating eportfolios! I really like using them for ENGL 1301/1302. Most of my students just make a Google Site for their works, but I'm hoping to have more of them use Canva, too. I really wish MCC had Adobe Express for students. They have lots of great tools for building slick websites, and I fell that would be a marketable skill for our students.

Great work!

Jessica

Hi, everyone!

My main goal is to be able to provide my students with the best resources at a minimum cost or at no cost at all. I know students have enough struggles, and adding a burden of purchasing a textbook does not seem to be fair.

I remember when I became a graduate student at Texas A&M, I had no idea I had to purchase textbooks and did not realize the cost it involved. During the very first class, Organizational Theory, Prof. Lincoln put a thick stack of copies on the table and said that everyone should purchase it for $200. For me that amount seemed incredible, like out of space: my monthly allowance was $1200 for me and my daughter, and more than half of that covered the rent, so there was no way I could afford it because I could not work on a student visa. Luckily, I was used to working in the library and navigating its catalogues. Instead of buying all those copies of articles, I stayed after each class, navigated library databases, and managed to find every single article and either saved it or annotated it.

I know that my students have no possibility to do it like that: most of them have full-time jobs to support their families and pay tuition. We also have a lot of non-traditional students, who are adult learners or returning students and have familiy commitments and various financial obligations. An excessive cost of textbooks may become a serious burden for them and prevent them from accomplishing their educational goals.

My priority is to help my students navigate through their educatinal journey sucessfully with the minimum cost involved, but at the same time I would like to be able to provide them with good-quality resources that would engage them and stimulate their learning.

Hi Anna,

I really enjoyed reading your post. I believe that you are from Ukraine, right? I am impressed that you came to the US on a student-visa and that you daughter was allowed to accompany you. I can only imagine how you felt when your professor told you that the textbook was $200 and your monthly allowance was $1200. I love your determination to "make it happen" by finding all of the articles on your own. That shows true dedication to your education.

With you experience, you can really relate to students who cannot afford books. No one should be denied an education based on lack of money. That is one reason why I am taking this course as well. I want everyone to have access to education at a low or minimal cost.

Thank you for sharing your story. I bet your students really look up to you.

Hi Catherine,

Thank your for your interesting comments and kind words. Yes, I am from Ukraine, and the first time I came here as a graduate student in 2011. After I completed my program, I had to go back home to comply with an immigration requirement, and no matter that I got married here, I could not stay.

My husband is originally from Florida but has lived in Texas for more than 20 years now. We were separated for three years before I could immigrate here in 2016. On a bright side, we could still travel back and forth, and he came to Ukraine four times and loved it. I remember how scared he was the first time, though I was waiting for him at the airport in Kiev, and then he said: "You, guys, are the same people, no different than Americans, you also enjoy good food and automobiles."

Anyway, it is really nice to meet you and take this class with you. I look forward to learning about your experience with OER and hope you enjoy the class.

Hi Anna,

Sounds you already had the good experience of searching the resourses online or from Library, so OER is not a scare thing at all? I have been using Pearson for more than 20 years, got so used to the format, but it costs a lot as you know. Now all my classes are in Inclusive Access, the cost has been reduced a lot, well, it is still not cheap. So I really want to learn how people work on OER and where to find the resources and how to apply to our course or how to make our course. There are a lot for me to explore and I am looking forward to our meetings and discussions.

Hi Yumei,

Thank you for your response. Your experience of using Pearson is really interesting, and it looks like we have similar goals. I also would like to learn more about OER and apply this knowledge in my courses.

I really enjoyed working with you last week and look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Hi, Anna!

Thanks for posting to the discussion and sharing your experience. To me, it's such a valuable moment to share because it demonstrates how skilled someone needs to be to navigate textbook costs in college. You're super smart, and it still took time and lots of effort to get everything you need. This definitely shows how difficult it would be for a student who doesn't have the same level of skills and who's facing additional challenges (like health concerns, lack of stable housing, food insecurity, etc.).

I totally agree with you about the role faculty play in helping students navigate this journey. I feel it's a moral responsibility for us to help them be successful. Plus, it's also kind of important for our funding now (right?!).

Awesome work!

Jessica

Goals:  I want to be able to implement OER into at least 1 class in the Fall 2025 semester. I also want to learn more about creating my own materials to include in the OERTX database.

I want to learn how to access the OER materials that I need. I see taking this class as a way to grow, personally. I feel like I am my own worst enemy at time when it comes to technology and I feel like this class will help me face my “technology” fears.

Needs: I need come to class every Friday in the month of September to be successful in the OER world. I need patience from my classmates and professor. I need to soak in the knowledge that everyone in the class has to share. I also need to give myself time to learn the new concepts. I need to acquire the skills needed to effectively utilize this OER resource.

Priorities: My number one priority as a professor is to educate my students the best way that I can. I do not know everything and I think that learning how to utilize OER will make me a better professor. In addition, many of my students cannot afford books. If I can utilize OER and its free resources, my student’s educational experience will be enhanced exponentially. My value is based on the National Association of Social Worker’s (NASW) core values, specifically, the core value of Competence. According to NASW, a social worker must be competent and “Practice within areas of competence, continuously develop professional knowledge and expertise, and contribute to the knowledge of the profession.” I want to continuously. One way contributing to the knowledge of the profession can be accomplished is by taking this course.

Hi, Catie!

Thanks so much for your post. I agree that getting into OER is definitely a learning journey. For me, navigating materials and evaluating what would be the best resources was tricky at first (and still is, tbh). At the same time, I feel it's work that yields real rewards for our students and for our institution.

Plus, one thing that I think is exciting for your field is the opportunity for students to also become content creators. As faculty, many of us are used to creating resources to help students understand the material. Allowing students to do the same thing is really empowering, and I think it also bring us a deep sense of pride when they do well. I'm thinking here of Sinnika's work, obviously, but there are so many opportunities for students to share what they've done with their peers and make a real difference in their success.

Excellent work!

Jessica

Hello, I am Yumei Wu, late to the discussion board since I could not find it, the technology is reaaly a true challenge to me.

My goal to this OER training is to learn more about the resources I may be able to use for my future classes so students can have a better deal with the materials and they can learn better too. I am looking forward to using the technology to embed the objects to my classes, I know I shall learn much more and better the new skills.

What I need? a lot, not only time, I have to learn more how to find the right rescourses and how to imply them to my courses in Brightspace, for sure there are so many technology skills waiting for me to find out.

The value, I would say all these are worth and helpful to our students,  also good to me as a instructor, to be able to make the course in a better way and also become a skilled professor in the classroom and among the younger generations.

Hi, Yumei!

Thanks for posting to the discussion. I agree about the technology side--it can be tricky to start. Like many things, it gets easier with time and practice.

Speaking of time, I agree with your point about how important time is for us to integrate OER into our courses. It can feel really overwhelming. Maybe you can pick something small to start, like one assignment or one part of the course? I know the Sofia platform has some OER materials available for math and English that are similar to some of the Pearson "My Lab" resources. I haven't tried them out myself, but I've heard positive things from folks who have. Another option might be to search in OERTX or OER Commons for a syllabus for one of the courses you teach that uses OER. If you can find one, it might give you a sense of how to integrate materials and what resources would be most useful to integrate.

Great job! :)

Jessica