October 2020 Newsletter

 

Greetings! My name is Josh Franco and I am serving as the college’s Open Educational Resources Liaison (OERL) this academic year. I am following in the footsteps of Karla Gutiérrez, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Chair of World Languages Department, who served as the college OERL last academic year.

 

One of my responsibilities is to share monthly communications from the ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) with faculty, staff, students, and administrators. Below are four announcements related to OER for the month of October.

 

Cuyamaca College’s OER Webpage

 

Please visit and bookmark the college’s Open Education Resources webpage. The webpage defines OER, explains why OER is important, list examples of OER, links to OER resources, and shares ways I can help you with OER, as the college’s Liaison.

 

 

ASCCC Academic Academy  - Redefining Distance Education

 

A Virtual Event – Thursday, October 8, 2020 and Friday, October 9, 2020

 

The ASCCC OERI is partnering with the CVC OEI to bring you the 2020 ASCCC Academic Academy, focusing on the intersection of OER and distance education and the impact of COVID 19 on instruction, as well as our continuing efforts to ensure equitable opportunities and a supportive learning environment for all students.

 

Interruptions in education are not new. Snow days, extreme heat, floods, and earthquakes can all lead to temporary school closures. In addition, California’s students may experience the extended disruption and devastating impact of fires. But a global pandemic requiring social distancing and the sudden cessation of traditional classroom instruction for an undefined time period is a force so impactful that our evolution is forced – is it education’s Big Bang, where we will emerge anew? Or is it our Ice Age, leading to the extinction of select species and the rapid evolution of the survivors? This year’s ASCCC Academic Academy will explore the impact of our recent history on the future of education. Join us as we explore the use of open and online approaches to finding ways to redefine instruction and assessment, create more equitable learning environments, address long-standing inequities exacerbated by reliance on technology, and improve the success of all students.

 

Deadline for Registration: Friday, October 2, 2020 - 5:00pm

 

Register for the 2020 ASCCC Academic Academy

 

Limited funding is available through Cuyamaca College Professional Development to pay for the registration fee. Please contact Donna Hajj, Professional Development Coordinator, at donna.hajj@gcccd.edu for more information.

 

OERI Weekly Webinars – October 2020

 

During the fall 2020 term, our OERI Weekly Webinars are scheduled for Fridays at 3:00 pm.

 

OERI Webinars are intended for a diverse audience. We hope you will all join us! Please share with your colleagues.

 

Friday, October 2: OER - A Simple Solution in Complex Times

• In distressing economic times, with most students studying remotely, not all students have access to the textbooks they need to succeed. OER is a way to bring equity into your course by providing free digital content that you can customize for your students. Join us for an exploration of the many challenges that are effectively addressed by adopting OER.
• Register for OER - A Simple Solution in Complex Times

Friday, October 9: No Webinar – See you at the ASCCC Academic Academy

 

Friday, October 16: Copyright, Fair Use, and Piracy. Where does OER Fit In?

• The use of OER and freely accessible digital resources has increased greatly during the pandemic as instructional faculty seek to support their students while teaching remotely. But an unprecedented situation does not give us permission to ignore copyright, "fair use", and piracy. Join us for a refresher of these topics to ensure you're demonstrating the academic integrity you expect of our students.
• Register for Copyright, Fair Use, and Piracy. Where does OER Fit In?

Friday, October 23: Navigating Acronyms and Icons - Approaches to Marking No-Cost Sections 

• How are colleges responding to the legislative mandate to identify no-cost sections in their schedules? What does an effective implementation look like? How do we ensure that our messaging is effective for students? Join us for an overview of the challenges and a potential solution.
• Register for Navigating Acronyms and Icons - Approaches to Marking No-Cost Sections

Friday, October 30: Open Forum

• Questions? Ideas? Join us in this Open Forum where you direct the conversation.
• Register for Open Forum 

ASCCC OERI – Seeking Faculty Discipline Leads

 

The ASCCC OERI is recruiting faculty to support our OER advocacy efforts by serving as Discipline Leads. Our intent is to expand our discipline collections during the fall 2020 term and to increase our targeted advocacy efforts across all identified disciplines in the spring 2021 term. In order to meet these goals, we are now seeking Discipline Leads for disciplines that have never had a Lead and we will be seeking new Leads for the disciplines that have had a Lead previously. 

 

Read more about the disciplines we are recruiting, the Discipline Lead role, and the application process. 

Applications for fall 2020 are due by Monday, October 19, 2020.

 

Thank you for taking time to review the monthly newsletter information above. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or telephone.

 

Sincerely,

Josh