The Evolution of Librarians: Open Education Leadership

June 22, 2018.Reading time 24 minutes.

quote reads: The SPARC Open Education Leadership Program is an intensive professional development program to empower library professionals with the knowledge, skills, and connections to lead successful open education initiatives that benefit students. The two-semester program blends online, peer-to-peer, and project-based learning to build a comprehensive understanding of the open education space coupled with practical know-how to take action on campus and beyond. Fellows participate as part of a cohort that becomes a vibrant community of practice, enhanced by expert instructors and mentorship support. SPARC program description, sparcopen.org/our-work/open-education-leadership-program/

We are proud to have Tanya Spilovoy, WCET Director of Open Policy, provide periodic updates on events in the world of open education. Today’s post talks about her role in the development and teaching of a professional development program for librarians focusing on OER. Librarians have jumped to the forefront in OER planning, leadership, and […]

Opening a New Path to Success – A Journey with Open Textbooks

April 26, 2018.Reading time 21 minutes.

Z Degrees (Zero-Textbook Cost Degrees) are what many consider the holy grail of Open Educational Resources (OER) accomplishments. Today’s guest blogger, Tanya Grosz, Ph. D., Dean of Graduate, Online & Adult Learning, led the open initiative at the University of Northwestern St. Paul—the first institution in Minnesota to create a Z Degree. Tanya and I […]

Teaching with Wikipedia: A High Impact Open Educational Practice

March 29, 2018.Reading time 14 minutes.

This week’s Frontiers Blog is written by one of my OER heroes, Dr. TJ Bliss. Like so many others working to reduce costs and increase open access to education, I was inspired, mentored, and empowered by TJ. In his previous position as the OER Program Officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, TJ granted […]

Open Textbooks and OER in Colorado: Lots of Interest and Great Promise

February 9, 2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

image of quote: {“Use of OER is a very clear strategy to speak to two very important concerns/barriers to education for today's learner populations: cost and convenience. Judiciously applying OER to these two critical decision-making issues can lower the barriers for a wide variety of students.” Mike Abbiatti, Exec Director of WCET

This week on WCET Frontiers Blog, Tanya Spilovoy, Ed. D., Director of Open Policy for WCET, discusses the outcomes of the Colorado Open Educational Resources (OER) Council recent work in open textbook initiatives, her research and consulting role with WCET, and how OER can be leveraged to meet state higher education goals. WCET is thrilled […]

Fight the FoMO: Catch up on OER

October 26, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Greetings from beautiful Denver, CO, where WCET Frontiers is joined by our Director of Open Policy, Tanya Spilovoy. Read on to catch up with Tanya on OER events, the Z Initiative, and how you can connect with her (either here at WCET 2017 or after). Thanks Tanya! ~Lindsey Downs, WCET Two exciting events are taking […]

What Colleges Should Be Doing with Open Educational Resources, At Scale!

February 26, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

Today we’re honored to welcome TJ Bliss, Program Officer, Education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to share with us the learning the Foundation has garnered in over 15 years of supporting open educational resource projects. Thank you, TJ for sharing how to scale OER with your cooperative! The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation […]

Connected Devices, Connected Colleagues

July 31, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

You will not want to miss the WCET Annual Meeting in Denver at the beautiful Westin Downtown, November 11-13. Though the fall meeting schedule is packed, a recent attendee said, “WCET is the one meeting on my agenda that I WILL NOT miss.” The following are a few reasons the WCET Annual Meeting provides such significant return […]