Resource for the Resource Retreat 2022

• Involving SGA and train SGA officers brcome OER advocates
• Short video recordings of students' experience using OER and posting them on university's social media
• Including an interactive session on OER in Library's class presentations

Engagement/knowledge sharing on all levels of the institution. As a faculty member, I could provide information in my course shell explaining OER and map out how it will be incorporated into my course. Once the word is out about "free resource" options, students can be our strongest marketing tool.

• Engage librarians to incorporate OER training into workshops for students.
• Encourage faculty who use OER content to explain what it is and why they use it to their classes
• Gather feedback from students about their OER experiences and incorporate this content into marketing materials

• Share data from a student textbook affordability survey with faculty members
• Encourage creation of new SGA award to recognize faculty champions of OER
• Create "Textbook Hero" posters highlighting faculty champions of OER, including student impact statements/testimonials
• Incorporate education/advocacy for OER during library instruction sessions

Instructors who use OER should explain what it is and why they are using it. They should also ask for student input on what they like and don't like about the OERs they are using

Suggestions for engaging students in OER:

1. Involve students in the development of OER materials ---as testers, reviewers for student responses

2. Have students produce videos, posters, webiste course advertisement  advocating OER materials/courses with statements regarding their experiences

Meeting with the SGA to present data on the effectiveness of using OER and the costsaving that it offers students.

Survey students who have taken classes that utilize OER materials to gather feedback on their experiences with OER versus commercial textbooks and resources. 

Request that librarians incorporate information about OER materials into their library orientation training. 

Make sure the library has an OER libGuide. Students and faculty use librGuides.

Students talk to other students. Involve student tutoring centers in OER awareness.  They can advocate for and advise students on where to go for OER material.  

It seems to me the most impactful way to engage students is to emphasize cost savings when professors adopt OER for their courses. In fact, I am the director of my campus's Honors Program and in our Center, I wrote on the dry-erase board "What motivates you?" to solicit student responses. The first and only one posted as of today is "money". So, I think we need to spread awareness of the current textbook model being used by our college district where everyone pays into the pot so that everyone gets access on day one to an e-textbook. There is currently no clear opt-out for our students. I think if they knew that they are paying into the pot but not receiving the benefit if all or some of their courses use OER. 

- Engage students through social media videos/posts regarding OER and explain what it is

- Incorporate discussion of OER resources into Library instruction- perhaps highlighting open access journals and resources and discuss how the publishing system works

How about providing demos on campus? Allow students to engage in interactive demonstrations for materials in various courses.  For example, set up demos for freshman courses.

Getting student (buy in) is very important by encouraging them to be involved in the making or selecting of OER for their classes. 

-Support the faculties to use OER as a pathway to creating more equitable access to student learning.Distribute flyers and pamphlets for students about any OER workshops at the campus, so students can get involved.

-Expanded access to learning, scalability, enhancement of regular course content, quick circulation, and students saving money on textbooks.

-Library advocacy is strong through libguides, outreach efforts, and alliances made across campus.

I think creating some sort of student advocacy OER group would really help with getting other students, and even faculty on board.

• Creating a student group that can advocate for OER
• Hold informational sessions for students so they can understand what OER's are, how it helps them and what they can do as students to support them
• Creating an OER guide specific to students where they can also submit feedback about their thoughts on OER, what they as students would like to see happen, etc. 

To echo what many others are saying here, I think engaging students in an OER advisory and advocacy committee would have a tremendous impact. Creating student ambassadors for OER and asking students to share testimonials about the prohibitive cost of textbooks would, IMO, definitely shift faculty and administrator mindets into one of curiosity and possibility.

It should be included in all syllabi. Beyond that, we should involve the Student Government Association in communicating and advocating OER to the entire student population. We need to think about the language that we are using. "OER" may be an unknown to most students, but I guarantee that they will understand, "no required purchase of a textbook" or "FREE course materials"!

Affordability. The difference between being able to afford a class or not based on the ancillary cost of textbooks. Every semester a student doesn't take an extra class for a academic full load due the cost of textbooks can lead to taking an extra year to complete a typical 120hr degree. Thats's extra year of rising tuition and room/board they have to pay for or come out with in debt. And, it's extra year of a full-time salary they miss out on.

• Partnerships with student and faculty groups. 
• Increase awareness of cost of textbooks, and how difficult (if it is even possible) it is for libraries to purchase electronic textbooks

From my experience, the most impactful way to engage students is to lean on their strengths. Some of the best student OER content creation experiences come from knowledge areas: major/capstone, global learners, or even campus leaders. 

Discussing the cost benefits is usually pretty successful, but I also think presenting OER resources as another tool to assist with their learning is beneficial, especially in terms of multimodal learning and the ability to access open source testing measures. 

I really want to try a focus group with students to hear about both the good and bad in a more extensive way than surveys typically allow. I also want to engage students in research on the impact of OER--our college hosts a 'scholar day' where students present research projects, and I think OER would be an area that appeals to many of them. Faculty might be more interested in OER if they hear students want to study/research it, too.

Thanks!

Jessica Zbeida

The best way is to always involve the student government  when it comes to OER. Student government is able to to unite other students to support a cause and their ability to mobilize others can be done within a day or two.

Students should also be informed of potential savings if the classes they registered for were to use OER.

If the library has a Student Advisory Board, or similar body:

- organize a workshop for them to explain what OERs are, their benefits, etc., so that they fully understand -- during this presentation, include testimonials from students from other instittutions who have found them to be valuable;

-get this body (the Student Advisory Board) to talk with the institution's SGA to invite the library to give a similar presentation to them, and

-help them (SGA) organize a campaign to advocate for this with the institution's admin.

A very significant consideration is the ease of use (access) and relevance (percentage of use) of the OER that sets students up for success throughout the course. Having seamless ease of access to the resource within the course in comparison to sometimes complex processes to access publisher resources can be obstacles to a student. As for relevance, having resources that are streamlined to the specific course objectives makes the student experience more meaningful. Including the background information on the resource within a course fosters grassroots student awareness of OER along with the benefits of these resources in comparison with their experiences with publisher resources. 

Allowing students to try to create useful OER as part of there coursework.

Incorporate OER cost savings fully into the University marketing plan.

Meet with SGA and other student groups. Help them advocate for OER in a way that is respectful and productive, which could boost there communication skills and understanding of how to work within a large organization for change. 

Here at EPCC ( El Paso Community College), at the beginning of each semester, we have students' orientation; we can use this service to introduce OER to them.
Before doing this, I firmly believe we must introduce the OER to our faculty. At EPCC, at the beginning of each semester, we have a Faculty Development Week in which all the faculty must attend at least two workshops. Then we can give a seminar on OER. This way, the first faculty will know about these resources and build on them more with our students.

Since the lack of awareness is the most critical barrier to adopting OER in higher education, informing students effectively about OER is vital. So, I believe librarian training can inform and engage students with OER to be an advocate and spread the word to the other students through different activities, for example, club and student organization activities. Also, the instructors can share their efforts in developing OER and the benefits of the OER with the students as another awareness effort.

I have to echo many of my colleagues in the retreat. We really need to take advantage of things like student government, and student advocacy groups as leaders in student engagement of OER. 

I think it would also be great to host students from institutions with really strong OER programs to speak on campus or at student events about the impact that OER has had not only for their campus, but for them personally. 

Providing the student with clear instructions outlining the purpose and benefits of OER and how it would aid the student in the learning process as well as cost reductions.  I feel once a student truly understands how it can impact in such a positive way they will be on board.  Also determining the multiple ways to communicate this information out the student to capture their attention. 

Cost saving on learning material can be an effective advocacy theme to at least raise awareness of OER for different student groups. A recent Team meeting led by our new Dean of Learning Commons revealed implications of increasing textbooks cost on student learning. While advancing OER to capture faculty knowledge can create a knowledge management respository for faculty, but different strategies needed to promote and gain buy-in from students.  

I too agree with my colleagues on promoting among campus-based student groups, student affairs, student government, etc. A campus-wide campaign or promotion that can bring together student leaders, graphics, instructional designers, etc. can perhaps result in different fun activities with resultant OERs for different subjects, topics or concepts.

As somewhat new direction for learning material, I am excited to explore different partnerships and collaborative networks across our college district. 

By supportig students to build their information and media literacy skills, specifically in the areas of locating reliable online information and identifying diverse perspectives and media to include in OER materials. Also, by providing an opportunity for students to learn how to work together during their OER projects to develop their teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills.