October 2022 Newsletter

Greetings! As the Open Educational Resources Coordinator and ASCCC OER Liaison for our college, it is my responsibility to share communications from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) with you. Please read on to learn about upcoming events and opportunities that are open to all.

If I can assist you as you consider OER or answer any OER related questions, please schedule a consultation with me at Appointment (ipolisci.com).

OERI, the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Program, and You

Curious to learn what is happening with the $115 million ZTC funds? The OERI is actively tracking all things ZTC.

Access the OER and ZTC page (tinyurl.com/OER4ZTC) to find all the latest information about Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) degrees and related textbook affordability requirements.

You’ll find archives of various ZTC-related presentations on this page and in the OERI’s archived presentations. Consider attending an office hour if you have questions or want to learn more.

LibreFest – October 10 – 11, 2022

LibreTexts has announced a special virtual fall LibreFest workshop to be held over two half days on October 10-11, 2022. Learn how to construct, edit, and remix content on the LibreTexts platform. You’ll also get an in-depth look at our open homework system, Adapt. The Adapt homework system provides a multifaceted online assessment infrastructure to accompany LibreTexts books and provides a wide range of assessment options.

Registration is $25 and includes a t-shirt and other swag. You can register using register for LibreFest until October 8, 2022. Please be sure to click on the payment link at the end of the form to complete your registration. If you are affiliated with a LibreNet member institution registration is free and no shirt/swag is included. Read more about the Fall LibreFest.

OERI Professional Development Opportunities

Ready to learn more about developing OER and ensuring that that OER is accessible? The OERI offers two self-paced online courses that can prepare you for OER work. In addition, we are now offering the option to earn credit for completing either course and a final project.

Register for ASCCC OERI – OER Basics

OER Basics serves as an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) providing faculty with new options for selecting textbooks and other resources so they can make the best decisions for their students. At the end of this self-paced course successful participants will be able to:

Properly identify the creative commons (CC) license on a resource and describe how this resource can and cannot be used.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open resources using current research in the field as evidence.
Research, analyze and review repositories of open resources.
Effectively search for open resources and post reviews in an OER repository.
Create an open resource by remixing multiple existing resources and designate a license to this new resource based on the licenses of multiple resources use.

Register for ASCCC OERI – Accessibility Basics

This course was designed with two compatible goals. It is intended to:

introduce all faculty to the basics of developing accessible content and
provide faculty who will be developing and/or curating open educational resources (OER) with an understanding of accessibility basics.

The ASCCC OERI has integrated accessibility training into much of its work as today’s faculty member is certain to be interacting with students in a digital environment. As we hope to interact with all faculty in the California Community Colleges, we believe it is important to do what we can to ensure that no faculty member is creating accessibility barriers for students. Accessibility is a complicated topic. Our goal is to ensure that you understand the basics of accessibility. Many courses and OER projects will require more extensive training. Our focus here is on the creation of accessible online content, regardless of the platform you are working in.

OERI Seeking Discipline Leads

The ASCCC OERI is recruiting faculty to support our OER advocacy efforts by serving as Discipline Leads during the 2022-2023 academic year. Each Discipline Lead will serve as a resource for their discipline colleagues and typically host at least one virtual event each term. Any additional tasks of each Discipline Lead will be determined by the status of OER in the discipline. Discipline Leads receive a stipend of $500 at the end of each term upon completion of their specified tasks.

We are currently recruiting Discipline Leads for the following disciplines:

Computer Science
Counseling
Education
Ethnic Studies
Film, Television, and Electronic Media
Geography
Math
Music
Social Justice Studies

Interested faculty should see ASCCC OERI – Seeking Faculty for OER Work for more information and application instructions.

OERI Events – October OERI Friday Forums

The OERI Friday Forums will be held from 10:30 am – 11:30 am on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month, provided there are no scheduling conflicts (e.g., a holiday). Due to Labor Day, September’s OERI Friday Forums will be on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays. These webinars are archived. The ASCCC OERI will provide automated captioning for all webinars. If you would like to request live human closed-captioning for any of our offerings, please contact us by e-mail at least 10 business days in advance.

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

Friday, October 7, 10:30 am – 11:30 am Everything We Think We Know About the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Program

What do we know about the ZTC Program? What steps are being taken to maximize the involvement of all the California Community Colleges and to ensure the ZTC program is benefitting as many students as possible? How is the “sustainability” legislative requirement being addressed and how do you avoid “duplication”? This webinar will cover the ZTC Program essentials and venture into the murky details. Join us to learn about the basics and not-so-basics of the ZTC Program

Friday, October 21, 10:30 am – 11:30 am Amplifying the Impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) on Students: The ASCCC OERI Student Impact Toolkit

How do you capture the impact of OER and ZTC on students? The ASCCC OERI Student Impact Toolkit is designed to provide you with the tools to gather – and document – the perspectives of your students. Piloted at 9 colleges during the 2021-2022 academic year, the toolkit provides everything you need to survey your students and collect video testimonials, including sample emails, survey questions, and video releases. Join us to learn about the project, how to use it at your college, and our plans for expanding it.

Register for Amplifying the Impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC on Students: The ASCCC OERI Student Impact Toolkit

OERI Discipline Lead Events – October 2022

The OERI Discipline Leads are hosting several conversations and webinars during the fall term. These events are intended for discipline faculty and those who have an interest in the discipline as supporters or advocates. A “conversation” is an informal discussion of a specific topic and will not be archived. Webinars will be recorded and archived. The ASCCC OERI will provide automated captioning for all webinars. If you would like to request live human closed-captioning for any of our offerings, please contact us by e-mail at least 10 business days in advance

Friday, October 7, 9:00 am - 10:00 am Anthropology OER: An Overview of In-Progress Work and a Discussion of Discipline Needs

In this interactive webinar, the editors of Traces: An Open Invitation to Archaeology (a forthcoming text) and Beliefs: An Open Invitation to the Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion (Zunner-Keating and Avetyan, 2020) will share the development of and updates to their OER projects that are currently in progress. The presentation will be followed by a discussion on what additional OER is needed for anthropology.

Friday, October 7, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Open Educational Resources (OER) for Political Science

Looking for political science OER? This webinar will review and explore the OER available to instructors who are designing or refreshing courses in US Government, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. Even if you don't teach political science but are interested in integrating content related to the study of politics into your course, this webinar will provide an overview of OER that may be incorporated into your courses.

Friday, October 21, 1:30 pm -2:30 pm Evaluating Open Educational Resources (OER) for English as a Second Language (ESL)

In this interactive session, an evaluation rubric for ESL OER will be shared, and time will be provided to discuss the usability of available OER and to make suggestions for development of future OER. Join us to make connections with faculty members who are interested in creating, adapting, and adopting OER for ESL. Links to resources will also be provided.

Thursday, October 27, 10:00 am - 11:00 am Basics of MyOpenMath

MyOpenMath is a free and openly licensed homework system that is easy to integrate into a Canvas shell and can be used by faculty in math, physics, and other disciplines. Please join us to learn more about this valuable resource including a basic overview of MyOpenMath and the resources available for adoption.

Friday, October 28, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Opportunities and Challenges: Remixing and Revising History Textbooks

While OER curation and development provides many opportunities, this important work may be more difficult than expected. Faculty working on developing OER for their history courses will discuss some of the challenges involved in developing OER for history. Join us to learn about our experiences and share yours.