{"id":522,"date":"2019-01-30T18:26:08","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T02:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0054\/?p=522"},"modified":"2019-01-31T07:43:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-31T15:43:59","slug":"late-to-the-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0054\/late-to-the-party\/","title":{"rendered":"Late to the party."},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a confession to make, I am late to the OER party. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This past year I embarked on pursuing my Master’s degree in Learning and Technology and, as such, have been introduced to the concepts of Open Education Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP). In my discovery of OER and OEP, I have tried integrating some of the methods and resources into my own practice. \u00a0Some have been a resounding success (Creating a free and openly licensed textbook on Trigonometry and AC generation), some are a work in progress (co-creating OER with my students), and some require more research and work on my part (self and peer evaluation). Any way you slice it, I have drunk the kool-aid, I\u2019m all in, I am on board. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I see OER and OEP as having a place in my heart and my educational practice for as long as higher ed will have me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of you reading this will have more than a rudimentary understanding of what OER and OEP are. \u00a0For those of you who may not know let me give a bit of a brief description of OER. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to UNESCO,<\/a> \u201cOpen Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium- digital or otherwise- that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits not cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions”.\u00a0 At their root, these are free and openly licensed resources that are available to our students at little to no cost to them. This alone is an exciting concept. The cost savings to students (and apprentices) using OER could quite literally be life-changing. According to CBS news<\/a>, \u201cthe average college student spends more than $1200 per year on books and materials”. <\/span><\/p>\n

The 5 R\u2019s<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The aspect of OER and OEP that brought me into the fold was the concept of the 5 R\u2019s of OER:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Retain<\/strong>– the right to make, own, and control copies of the content.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Reuse<\/strong>– the right to use the content in a wide range of ways.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Revise<\/strong>– the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Remix<\/strong>– the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Redistribute<\/strong>– the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This material was created by David Wiley and published freely under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license at:\u00a0http:\/\/opencontent.org\/blog\/archives\/3221<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

    It took me a bit to really understand how powerful those 5 R\u2019s are. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    These\u00a0 5 R’s allow instructors to completely customize a resource as they need it for their particular instance. \u00a0With openly licensed materials you can do whatever you want with them to make them useful for your students. To me, this is powerful and mind-blowing. What if you could provide your students with a custom made textbook (free) that covers everything in your course?\u00a0 Perhaps you find that there are things you would like to add or delete? This is not an issue. As long as the materials carry a creative commons license<\/a>, you are good to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What’s been happening since I jumped in?<\/h2>\n

    Just to give you some context, I have the fortune of teaching an electrical foundation class. \u00a0This is an entry-level trades training program and when they start many of the students have not even touched a tool. \u00a0Throughout the 6 months in the course,\u00a0the students learn about the theory behind electricity as well as many of the hands-on skills they will need to gain employment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    This term I was able to add some new tools and methods to my “toolbox” due to my introduction to OER and OEP.\u00a0 Here are a few of the things I have tried under the banner of OER and OEP:<\/span><\/p>\n