Open Educational Resources Workshop Series
When incorporated into your teaching, Open Educational Resources (OERs) decrease financial barriers and enhance student learning and engagement.
Presented in partnership with Libraries and Cultural Resources, the OER Workshop Series provides UCalgary instructors and teaching assistants with a baseline of understanding about what OERs are, how to integrate them into their teaching, and what supports are available at UCalgary for OER adoption, adaptation and creation.
Each session in the workshop series will consist of key learnings, helpful resources and exercises to equip participants with the skills they need to achieve their goals for teaching with OERs. Learners may choose to participate in all workshops, or to choose ones that meet specific learning goals.
Already familiar with OERs? Check out the substantial funding available through the University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants to help facilitate the creation of OER projects.
Introduction to Open Educational Resources
Are you curious about integrating Open Educational Resources (OERs) into your teaching practice, but don’t know where to start? This session is intended for those new to OER and will provide learners with a basic introduction and a foundation for future learning.
By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:
- Provide a definition of open educational resources (OER)
- Explain the difference between OER and other free educational materials
- Understand ways to incorporate OER into teaching and learning
- Describe the challenges and benefits of using OER in class
- Assess their teaching materials for the potential to release as OER
- List 3 considerations to keep in mind before adopting an OER
Facilitator: Sarah Adams and Kate Cawthorn
Date: Apr. 13, 2023
Time: 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. (75 min)
Location: Online
Copyright and Licensing for Open Educational Resources
Understanding the basics of copyright, open licensing, and their implications for adopting, adapting, or creating OERs is essential. This session will give learners the tools they need to lawfully and ethically adopt, adapt, and create OERs.
By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:
- Define copyright and open licenses
- Describe the four different Creative Commons License components
- Explain why some CC-licensed content might not be considered OER
Facilitator: Rowena Johnson and Sarah Adams
Date: Apr. 19, 2023
Time: 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. (75 min)
Location: Online
Finding OERs
Existing OERs are housed in many different locations, meaning that they can sometimes be difficult to find. In this session, we will provide an overview of how to begin a systematic search for an OER appropriate to your course needs, and outline supports available to instructors for finding and evaluating OER.
By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:
- Describe key aspects of an OER that should be assessed before use
- Conduct a preliminary search for OER
- Identify key search tools for finding OER, openly licensed media, and ancillary content
Facilitator: Sarah Adams and Savannah Lee
Date: May 4, 2023
Time: 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. (75 min)
Location: Online
Getting Started on Creating OERs
Creating a new OER, either by starting from scratch or by adapting an existing resource, can be a labour intensive process. This session will break down the steps associated with OER creation to give instructors some step-by-step guidance. We will also discuss tools and platforms that are available to instructors for hosting OER materials, and discuss key accessibility and universal design principles.
By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:
- Identify the five main steps of the OER creation process
- Provide examples of tools for creating OER
- Describe which OER tools/platforms are supported by UCalgary, and which are “DIY”
- Explain the importance of assessing OERs for accessibility
Facilitator: Sarah Adams and Laura Koltutsky
Date: May 11, 2023
Time: 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. (75 min)
Location: Online