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Reducing the cost of a college education is a frequent topic in higher education circles. Some colleges and universities such as UT Arlington have been trying to find other ways to reduce costs and conserve resources by eliminating the need for purchasing textbooks by using open educational resources (OERs) as an alternative to commercially published textbooks, thereby reducing fees for students. Open educational resources (OER) are free teaching and learning materials that are licensed to allow for revision and reuse. OER can be fully self-contained textbooks, videos, quizzes, learning modules, lesson plans, syllabi, worksheets, data, and more. The benefits of using OER in courses include improved student engagement and success, immediate and equitable access to resources, cost savings for students, resrouce conservation, flexible and high-quality learning materials that can be adapted to fit individualized curriculum, and professional contributions to teaching and learning in your field. Other open educational practices, such as open pedagogy, can result in the creation of OER. UTA Libraries sponsor a grant program that supports open pedagogy and OER adoption/creation projects
Open educational resources (OER) are free teaching and learning materials that are licensed to allow for revision and reuse. OER can be fully self-contained textbooks, videos, quizzes, learning modules, lesson plans, syllabi, worksheets, data, and more. The benefits of using OER in courses include improved student engagement and success, immediate and equitable access to resources, cost savings for students, flexible and high-quality learning materials that can be adapted to fit your individualized curriculum, and professional contributions to teaching and learning in your field. Other open educational practices, such as open pedagogy, can result in the creation of OER. UTA Libraries sponsor a grant program that supports open pedagogy and OER adoption/creation projects. Open pedagogy is the practice of engaging with students as creators of information rather than simply consumers of it. It’s a form of experiential learning in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creation. The products of open pedagogy are student created and openly licensed so that they may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater and sustainable community. Open pedagogy projects frequently result in the creation of open educational resources (OER). OER are free teaching and learning materials that are licensed to allow for revision and reuse. They can be fully self-contained textbooks, videos, quizzes, learning modules, and more
The current publishing price models for many academic journals and textbooks, where publishers use the knowledge and expertise of university faculty to create content priced beyond a level sustainable for academic libraries and many students, demand exploration of alternative publishing models. Acknowledging this growing challenge, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Libraries are exploring multiple alternative models to fund the quality scholarship published by our faculty. UTA’s Coalition for Alternative Resources in Education for Students (CARES) grant program provides up to $5000 in grant funding to support projects at UTA that advance the practice of open education.
Through this program, UTA Libraries join colleagues at other academic libraries and universities in partnering with faculty to support the adoption and creation of open educational resources (OER). OER can reduce financial barriers that may impede student success, while open pedagogy can transform the educational experience for both teachers and students. For more information please contact Michelle Reed at michelle.reed@uta.edu
To support UT Arlington’s campus initiatives on sustainability and the new minor in sustainability studies, University Libraries staff members have created several informative topic and research guides. These guides pull together library resources pertaining to this broad subject to help students and faculty with their research. The staff is also available for one-on-one assistance on any of the library resources and services.
