OpenOKState Student Fellows
The statements below describe the learning goals associated with this micro-course. They might be helpful, and they might be horribly dull. Read them if you want. Definitely read the stuff after the course objectives. I worked hard on it, and it says nice stuff about you. ~KE
In this micro-course you will
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- Discover how the use of open educational resources can improve lives by reducing the cost of university education, enhancing academic freedom, and increasing access to teaching, learning and research opportunities.
- Explore how the use of open educational resources aligns with the Oklahoma State University mission.
- Identify ways to share student experiences and partner with others to articulate achievable actions that build community, further knowledge, and advance open and affordable resource solutions.
Students,
You’ve got a lot going on, and you’re doing it. Your energy, your dedication to making this a better world, you are amazing. Your faculty and professors admire you too, and they are trying to do whatever they can to help support your success. They know that it is frustrating to spend a bunch of money on textbooks that are seldom used in class or required only for homework. They realize that representation matters, and that many, many people in our community do not see themselves in the textbooks we require you purchase. They know that what drives you to explore and learn has nuances unique to your lived experiences, and that ‘one-size-fits-all’ instructional experiences are frequently actually ‘one-size-fits-hardly-anyone’ or ‘one-size-fits-people-life-already-works-for’.
They are trying to fix this by shifting to research, teaching and learning resources that you do not have to purchase. They are finding and creating resources that reflect you and your communities. They are crafting instructional designs which can be modified to address and help give life to your goals and what you know to be true. They want your time in their course to be the transformational university experience you have been told you can expect at OSU.
Your voices matter . As university administration becomes aware of your appreciation for faculty engaged in this work, they will be able to justify allocating more resources to supporting faculty doing this work. The result will be even more courses which don’t require you to purchase a textbook, and even more faculty empowered to discard the traditional, commercial educational resources which frequently act as a barrier to innovation in teaching and learning. My gig is to help support this shift. At the end of this micro-course, you will have the opportunity to help influence this campaign by sharing your story, evaluating course materials, or volunteering to help raise awareness.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about open, and thank you for sharing your voice. ~Kathy
Updated 11.18.2024, kathy.essmiller@okstate.edu