Open Education Resources and Open Textbooks in Education

Please join us in the Daley Library for a talk and discussion regarding the value of open education resources (OERs) and open textbooks. Lecture on “A technology of togetherness: How OER (Open Education Resources) transforms educational access, meaningful practice, and sustainable value.” Speaker is Jonathan Lashley, open education fellow, Open Textbook Network. A light lunch will be provided.

For those unable to attend in person, please attend online.

Talk description: Where barriers to affordability and access stymie the dream of a higher education for many, educators and activists alike look to open educational resources (OER) as a means of creating learning opportunities that may not otherwise exist. Solely framing the importance of OER around student costs and consumption, however, misses a larger picture that challenges the more traditional roles, expectations, and outcomes we have for learners. This presentation highlights how OER may (and increasingly does) encourage educators to reexamine their relationships with course materials, the potential of student creativity, and the social contract of educational institutions.