Let the DATA drive: Washington community & technical college’s journey to establish OER and Low-Cost codes

March 21, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

In this blog, Mark Jenkins and Boyoung Chae detail the vital benefits of using a data-driven approach in OER initiatives to promote affordability and student success for Washington’s Community and Technical Colleges. Their approach helped to meet two important goals: Meet students’ needs for learning which courses use free or “low-cost” resources, which aids them […]

Creative Commons Offers New Certificate on Open Licensing

August 1, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

As WCET’s Director of Open Policy, one of the issues I constantly face is getting people up-to-speed on their options for openly licensing content. As they describe on their “about” page, Creative Commons “provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your […]

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 […]

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 […]