How to be Open: Advancing OEP through Professional Learning Communities

Even as Open gains popularity as a means of providing equitable access to high-quality learning materials while empowering students to take an active role in their education, many educators lack the knowledge and expertise to effectively utilize OEP in their teaching practices. A Professional Learning Community (PLC) for faculty dedicated to “All Things OPEN” is an effective means of addressing this challenge. This roundtable will discuss our PLC journey over one academic year as we collaborate to develop and improve open resources and pedagogy whether we are new to the topic or have dedicated many years to OEP. Utilizing co-facilitators representing both faculty and library perspectives is key to the program’s success. From a faculty perspective, the PLC provides a platform to learn about resources and best practices, share knowledge and expertise, troubleshoot existing projects, and collaborate on new projects. From a library perspective, working closely with engaged faculty provides valuable insight into the current state of OER at the university, leading to shifts in the library’s service model to better address local needs. Also, PLC participation supports faculty in securing grants for their projects' development/ implementation. Outline Segment 1 Discuss individual open projects: overcoming barriers; OER content; tools/technologies; and/or OEP (varies among participants) How the group works; the importance of being housed in the Teaching Center as opposed to being a library initiative Q&A Segment 2 The learning journey – how we got started Mutual support/collaboration Changes in pedagogy, course development, and library support: our next steps forward Q&A