Last Friday, during our monthly Faculty Gathering we discussed Open Educational Resources (OER) and openCI. openCI is the name for the targeted CSU Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) effort on campus addressing textbook affordability for students. Jill Leafstedt and Jaime Hannans reviewed last year’s openCI’s accomplishments and challenges.
During the 2016-2017 Academic Year, students saved $259,151, benefitting 2,053 students in 73 course sections. That is an average savings of $126 per student and $3,550 per course. This and another estimated $150,000 savings this fall is a reflection of the hard work of the openCI Faculty Ambassadors at CI coordinated by Dr. Hannans and Dr. Jenkins.
During this fall the focus has been on three initiatives:
- program-level textbook affordability
- openCI Ambassadors 2.0: 5 Day Workout program
- research to assess the needs of the CI students
Additionally, Dr. Jenkins & Dr. Hannans, supported by numerous people across campus, have successfully launched the no cost course designation in this list of course offerings earlier than the required January 1, 2018 date (SB 1359). Based upon Senate Bill 1359, the CACCCs and the CSUs are required “to clearly highlight, by means that may include a symbol or logo in a conspicuous place on the online campus course schedule, the courses that exclusively use digital course materials that are free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions.”
Personally, it is fascinating to witness how the OER & openCI conversation is evolving from a mere focus on affordability (yes! let’s find quality free or affordable books) to a bigger emphasis on curation, creation and adoption of open materials to finally Open Pedagogy, that treats education as a learner-driven process and forces us to rethink our courses’ design.
Toward the end of the gathering, we had an informal brainstorming session about what Open Pedagogy would look like in our disciplines and it seems that some of our fearless faculty members are ready to pilot some new ideas (stay tuned!)
Thanks to all attendees and a special welcome to our new faculty members. We know how busy the semester has become!
Mark your calendars for our next Online & Blended Faculty Gathering – December 1st at 12 pm. We will be discussing gamification (integration of gaming into learning experiences to increase engagement and motivation). Dr. Pehlivan will share her recent experience piloting gamification in her Principles of Marketing class.
RSVP here –> https://goo.gl/forms/jKNUNNl9Bn5ouD7x
Looking forward to seeing you in December!
Maria Ballesteros-Sola
O&B Faculty Lead
Send your questions or comments to maria.ballesteros-sola@csuci.edu
or let’s connect on Twitter @mariaspayne
