Gabby Hernandez (SPARC) | Volume 189 | March 27th, 2025
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
NEW CO-AUTHOR: Hello, I am Gabby Hernandez, the Open Education Community Manager at SPARC. I’m thrilled to join the OER Digest team as a new co-author. I started my Open Education journey as an Open Education Librarian, and I’m excited to continue supporting this incredible community. I look forward to learning, collaborating, and sharing with all of you!
SURVEY INVITATION: Your opinion matters! OER Digest subscribers are invited to take the U.S. National Open Education Needs Assessment Survey, which will help shape the priorities of a new national initiative, the Open Education Association Development Project (opened.org). The survey takes around 10 minutes and is open until April 4th.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: There is just over a week left to submit session proposals to the 2025 Open Education Conference (#OpenEd25), which will be held as a hybrid event on October 28-30 in Denver, CO and online. Proposals are accepted for virtual, hybrid, and in person sessions and must be submitted by Friday, April 4, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT. Also read the recent Board of Directors Statement regarding participation barriers due to the U.S. environment.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: You are invited to submit chapter proposals for The Open Pedagogy Cookbook, an edited Creative Commons volume to be published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. This publication will contain lesson plans, resources, and inspiration from librarians who have successfully implemented open pedagogy at their institutions. Proposals are due on May 2, 2025.
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE) invites you to submit original quantitative and qualitative innovative practice articles and case studies concerning Open Pedagogy, Open Data, and analyses of current topics in Open Educational Resources within the context of Higher Education in the United States and Canada. Initial review of submissions will begin on March 31, 2025. The submission portal closes on April 30, 2025.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: The Florida OER Summit 2025 invites you to engage and connect with other OER enthusiasts from May 21-22 in a free virtual conference. Hear from practitioners in Florida, the nation, and around the world on a variety of topics. Visit the Summit website to register.
JOB POSTING: Diablo Valley College Library is excited to announce a number of position openings to expand their growing and dynamic library team. The job posting for an Adjunct Librarian - Open Educational Resources can be viewed here.
JOB POSTING: The University of Oklahoma is currently looking for a director of their Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication (OISC) Unit. The full job listing can be viewed here.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: The Rebus Foundation has developed a six-week Supplemental Materials Development Certificate course where you can explore, co-create, and implement supplemental materials rooted in learning science while reconnecting with the joy of teaching and learning! For more information please visit their website.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: LibreTexts is excited to announce The LibreTexts Academy: A Center for Open Instructional Innovation and Professional Development cohorts for faculty authors. The Academy aims to help instructors gain experience and expertise using the LibreTexts greater LibreVerse of technologies and resources to create, adapt, and remix high quality OER for their courses.If you are interested, fill out this form on the Academy website.
WEBINAR: The University of Regina is hosting an online Open Education Bootcamp May 13-16th. Register for each online session here.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: Register for KSU’s third annual All Things Open Week, co-hosted by Texas Tech University Libraries! Join them April 7-10 to learn more about varying open movements. View the schedule and register here.
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM OREGON: Since 2019, Oregon State students have saved more than $20 million on textbooks. In the 2024 academic year, 41% of all OSU course sections required materials be low-cost or free. Students appreciate faculty’s acknowledgement of their financial needs through the use of these resources. Faculty and students alike also appreciate that open educational resources democratize knowledge and allow all students to come to class prepared regardless of their financial situation. Read More>>
FROM VIRGINIA: In 2023, JMU formed a task force to address rising textbook costs by promoting the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). The team of representatives from across the university—JMU Libraries, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI), and Faculty Senate—worked together with a shared goal: to expand the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to create a more affordable and equitable educational experience at JMU. Read More>>
FROM GEORGIA: Key to student success is access to course materials – textbooks in particular – but the rising costs make it difficult for some Georgia State students to afford them. Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard has urged faculty to find ways to reduce textbook costs, and the university continues to make progress: more than 60 percent of undergraduate courses at GSU now use low- or no-cost textbooks. Read More>>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
The ISU Digital Press is pleased to announce the publication of a new open educational resource: A Guide to Writing the Statement of Purpose for Graduate School Applications by Erin Todey. The publication discusses the conventions and expectations of the Statement of Purpose (SoP) and the writing process, and includes sample SoPs written by students who have been accepted into a graduate program as models.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Little Black Dress and OER: Sticking with the Classics Doesn’t Go Out of Fashion | Michelson 20MM Foundation
US Funding Cuts Imperil Open Infrastructure Globally | Katina Librarianship Elevated
Bringing AI and OER together | 21st Century Blog
Diana Daly Honored with OER Architect Award for Transformative Contributions to Open Education | University of Arizona
MCC Celebrates Open Education Week | Middlesex Community College News
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com.
The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.
Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 188 | February 28, 2025
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
OPEN ED WEEK: Next week - March 3-7, 2025 - is Open Education Week! Be part of the global celebration and focus on open education. Learn how to register your own OEWeek events and share open assets/resources on the official OEWeek website - and join the conversation on social media with #OEWeek!
FEDERAL OER BILL: This week, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the Affordable College Textbook Act in the U.S. Congress. The bill would establish a grant program for the creation and use of free, openly licensed textbooks, while also strengthening federal price disclosure requirements for textbook publishers and institutions. If passed, the program would build on the success of the Open Textbook Pilot which is already projected to save students an estimated $250 million since its creation in 2018.
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The call for proposals is open for the 2025 Open Education Conference (#OpenEd25), which will be held as a hybrid event on October 28-30 in Denver, CO and online. The theme “Eyes on the Horizon” explores a range of interesting and timely topics. Submit a virtual or in-person proposal before April 4th, 11:59 pm PT.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: You are invited to submit a session proposal for the OpenCon Ohio 2025 free, virtual conference. The event will be held the week of May 19-22, 2025. During the week, asynchronous conversations will be held online in Discord to discuss prerecorded lightning talks. On Thursday, May 22, 2025 there will be virtual presentations, interactive conversations, and a keynote presentation delivered by Apurva Ashok, The Rebus Foundation’s Executive Director. All proposal submissions are due on March 18th, 2025
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE) invites you to submit original quantitative and qualitative innovative practice articles and case studies concerning Open Pedagogy, Open Data, and analyses of current topics in Open Educational Resources within the context of Higher Education in the United States and Canada. Initial review of submissions will begin on March 31, 2025. The submission portal closes on April 30, 2025.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: You are invited to submit chapter proposals for The Open Pedagogy Cookbook, an edited Creative Commons volume to be published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. This publication will contain lesson plans, resources, and inspiration from librarians who have successfully implemented open pedagogy at their institutions. Proposals are due on May 2, 2025.
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: The Missouri Affordable and Open Educational Resources Conference (A&OER) planning committee invites you to the 6th annual virtual conference! The theme of this year’s conference is: What's the Blueprint? Collaborative Strategies for OER Success. The conference will be held virtually on March 6, 2025. Registration is free to all attendees, including out-of-state and international participants.
WEBINAR: The UC Davis Library’s next AggieOpen Invited Speaker Series event features Indigenous Engagement Librarian Jessie Loyer who will explore the history of Open Access and draw upon histories of caretaking in her talk, The Agreements that Allow Us to Care for Each Other. The free virtual event will be held on Zoom Tuesday, March 4, at 11:00 am PT.
HYBRID EVENT: The University of British Columbia is holding an online & in-person interactive workshop which will explore the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and OER. Topics will include AI’s potential in generating dynamic content like interactive textbooks, as well as the legal and ethical considerations of both AI and OER, such as copyright and privacy. The event is on March 7 at 1:00 PM PT.
WEBINAR: Join the OER Collective’s webinar on Thursday, March 6, at 2:00 PM AEDT to reflect on the journey of the CAUL OER Collective and its future plans. This session will highlight upcoming OER texts, grant opportunities, and feature a sneak peek into new projects, followed by a Q&A with the Collective.
WEBINAR: The University of British Columbia is also holding a webinar on the landscape of open education in Canada. The event brings together experts from across Canada to discuss the evolving open education landscape in the country. The event is on March 25 at 12:00 PM PT.
WEBINAR: The Open Education Association Development Project, a new national initiative to support collaborative action and strategic coordination on open education in the U.S., is holding an introductory webinar on March 10 at 2:00PM ET.
SURVEY: Portland State University invites you to participate in a research study on Open Education and Social Justice at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete and is open until March 21, 2025.
SURVEY: The Rebus Foundation is conducting a survey to hear about how open education is supported at your institution or region. The survey takes 5-7 minutes to complete and will help the Rebus Foundation to create programs that meet your needs.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM ILLINOIS: The College of DuPage in northern Illinois has been reducing textbook costs for students by investing in OER. The college has offered grants to support faculty not just seeking out OER materials but also looking to create their own. So far, over 100 faculty have worked on open education projects. And last fall, the college also launched a Zero Textbook Cost tool where students can filter or search for classes with zero textbook costs, reports DuPage librarian Lauren Kosrow. These investments have saved students over $7 million over the past five years. The next goal for the college is to offer an Associate of Arts degree path with zero textbook costs. In addition, the nearby Waubonsee Community College has expanded OER and has saved students over $1 million since 2022, according to Waubonsee professor Aaron Lawler. Read More >>
FROM KANSAS: The University of Kansas in Lawrence will host Virginia Clinton-Lisell, associate professor in educational foundations and research at the University of North Dakota and lead researcher of the Open Education Group, to deliver a public lecture about her research on open education. “We are excited to have Dr. Clinton-Lisell, a well-respected researcher in the field of open education, to speak about how open education and OER can impact teaching and learning for the Libraries Open Education Week event,” said Heather Mac Bean, KU Libraries’ Open Education Librarian. “We’re also delighted to announce this year’s Textbook Hero, someone who has championed OER creation and use in the classroom.” KU Libraries has long been a leader in the advancement of open knowledge, including open education, joining the Open Education Network in 2015, and establishing an OER Grant Initiative that has provided 44 awards to KU instructors with an estimated annual savings of more than $1.2 million for KU students. Read More >>
FROM MASSACHUSETTS: UMass Lowell, along with Framingham State University and Northern Essex Community College, is leading an OER project in Massachusetts, funded by a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The initiative aims to produce open textbooks to be used in popular freshmen and sophomore-level courses that lay the foundation for undergraduate success for students enrolled in any of the community college, state university and UMass system institutions across the commonwealth. “Transforming education to meet the needs of our students and foster their success is a hallmark of UMass Lowell,” said Julie Nash, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “The online materials developed by our faculty through this project will reduce the need for traditional textbooks, which will provide a cost savings to our students; ease the transition into college, particularly for transfer students; and streamline the classroom experience.” Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
VIVA is pleased to announce the publication of a new OER: Community and Public Health Nursing: A Call to Action by Andrea Reed, Beth Tremblay, Chloe Gross, Felisa Smith, Gretchen Wiersma, Jamela M. Martin, Judith Rogers Fruiterman, and Roy Brown. This new OER explores the diverse roles of community and public health nurses through a social justice lens and examines key issues such as health disparities, access to care, cultural competence, and the impact of social determinants on public health outcomes.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
University libraries must be ‘access brokers’, not knowledge repositories | Times Higher Education
The Aesthetics of OER, Deaf Pedagogy, and Curriculum Design Contra the “Wicked” Policy of Deaf Education | RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia
Students discuss textbook prices at Penn State University Bookstore, share alternatives | PSU Daily Collegian
Deal or no deal: Are bookstore prices too high? | The KentStater
Are textbooks a relic of the past? | The Muhlenberg Weekly
OPINION: Textbook companies only care about their profits | The Daily Nebraskan
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.
The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.
Aishah Abdullah (SPARC) | Volume 187 | January 30, 2025
THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders
OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities
APPLY NOW: The Textbook Success Program applications are open. This program is a professional development package that equips faculty, librarians, administrators, and managers with the tools they need to make great open textbooks.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The Florida OER Summit Planning Committee invites proposal submissions for the 2025 Summit. The Planning Committee strives to host an inclusive and accessible conference and encourages proposals that reflect a wide range of lived experiences and perspectives. The deadline for proposals is Friday, February 28, 2025.
REGISTER NOW: The Open Language Resource Center at the University of Kansas will virtually host the fifth annual Language OER Conference. The conference provides a venue to showcase large-scale language OER and to exchange information on topics related to OER production and adoption.
REGISTER NOW: Open Ed Live 2025, a free online event hosted by the University of Central Florida, will take place from February 25–27. This year’s theme, Open Education: Forming Bridges for Lifelong Learning, will explore innovative practices in OER, including accessibility and strategies for fostering lifelong learning.
WEBINAR: Join the webinar Resilience and Open Education: Supporting Ukrainian Librarians During Wartime for a thought-provoking session featuring Dr. Tetiana Kolesnykova, Director of the Scientific Library with the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies. Occurring on February 13th at 9:00 AM Eastern Time, discover how librarians in Ukraine are using open education as a tool to stay connected with the world and support their communities during the ongoing war.
WEBINAR: The Opt-In Models for Automatic Textbook Billing webinar, will take place on February 6, 2025, at 11:00 AM Pacific time. This session will provide an update on federal rulemaking and showcase case studies of institutions successfully implementing opt-in models for textbook billing, allowing students to make informed purchasing decisions.
JOB POSTING: SPARC has an opening for an Open Education Community Manager. This position will work across SPARC’s open education portfolio to conduct outreach, build relationships, and support effective open education work through resources, programming, and coordination.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted
FROM UTAH: Weber State University (WSU) is expanding its efforts to provide free textbooks to students, aiming to make higher education more accessible and affordable. The university’s OER initiative, introduced by the Stewart Library in 2019, has already saved students an estimated $3 million by replacing expensive textbooks with freely available course materials. "Ultimately, when we offer free materials, we’re giving students a better educational experience," said Jim Hutchins, a professor in the Department of Health Sciences. The initiative has led to increased retention and success, with 98% of students in health sciences courses indicating that free materials are important when choosing future classes. Read More >>
FROM FLORIDA: The Textbook Affordability Project (TAP) at USF St. Petersburg has saved students over $2.4 million in the past eight years by reducing the cost of course materials and improving accessibility. The project offers a growing collection of resources, including reserved textbooks, e-books, and open educational materials, to make education more affordable. “Providing a top-notch education at limited costs is a vital part of our academic mission. I am thrilled that our library is doing its part to save our student body millions while ensuring access to critical resources,” said USF St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Christian Hardigree. The project has significantly expanded textbook access, from just 20 titles in the library’s reserve collection to over 200, and continues to partner with faculty to explore affordable alternatives to traditional textbooks. Read More >>
FROM WISCONSIN: Marquette University School of Dentistry has received a $1.37 million grant to support the creation of the Open Dental Education Consortium (ODEC). This consortium will be formed with Chippewa Valley Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and Brigham Young University. “A major gap exists in open education such that open educational resources as a philosophy or practice have not been incorporated at scale into dental education,” said Dr. Elisabeta Karl, associate dean of academic affairs. This initiative is expected to save at least 530 students $1,000 each. Read More >>
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource
University of Saskatchewan’s Women’s and Gender Studies Department released a new open resource, Queering in the Classroom. The resource includes multiple tools for gender, sexuality, and social justice. It is an open pedagogy tool that students will continue to contribute to.
WEIGH IN
Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider
Ithaka S+R Publishes New Report on Open Educational Resources Case Studies | InfoDocket
World’s Largest Publisher of Textbooks Sees OER as Key to Cost Savings | University World News
Exploring OER: A Look at Its Impact and Challenges | Iowa State Digital Press
Brock Students Should Look Beyond the Campus Store to Save Money on Textbooks | Brock Press
Diablo Valley College Honored with Statewide Exemplary Program Award | Patch
A Call to Action — Engage with Textbook Affordability | Daily Lobo
Have suggestions for the next edition? Let us know at oerdigest@gmail.com, or tweet us @OERdigest.
The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.