SYMP 25 - Leveraging Open Educational Resources for Inclusive and Effective Ecology Education

Organizer(s)

• NG

  Natasha Gownaris

  Assistant Professor
  Gettysburg College, United States

Co-organizer(s)

• KW

  Kyle Whittinghill

  University of Pittsburgh and University of Vermont, United States
• TZ

  Taylor Zallek

  Graduate Student
  University of Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh, United States
• NB

  Nathan Brouwer

  University of Pittsburgh, United States
• AH

  Aaron Howard

  Franklin & Marshall College, United States
• DW

  Dan Wetzel

  University of Pittsburgh, United States
• CO

  Castilleja Olmsted

  PhD Student
  University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• NE

  Nathan Emery

  STEM Education Coordinator
  UC Santa Barbara, United States

The term ‘Open Educational Resources’ (OER) is used to describe any educational materials that educators and learners can freely retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. OER range from open activities, through open textbooks and software, to fully open classes. Although faculty and students who use OER generally report that these resources meet their pedagogical needs while reducing financial barriers, adoption of these materials has been slow due to a perceived lack of options and low quality (e.g., 42% of faculty in the United States are not aware of OER). Rates of use are, however, increasing in the United States (e.g. from 5% to 14% of US faculty between 2015–2016 and 2018–2019) (Seaman and Seaman 2020).

OER can substantially reduce the financial burdens of STEM education and have a multitude of additional advantages over traditional textbooks and course materials. They promote flexible and innovative teaching, regular updating of materials, and the involvement of students in resource development and improvement. Ultimately, these benefits lead to increased belonging and community in the classroom.

The aim of this session is to motivate participation throughout the entire OER lifecycle, from development to implementation. Each talk will consist of an overview of an open educational resource, or collection of resources, followed by a discussion around a core theme or issue in this movement (e.g., improving student engagement with OER). The resources shared will include open modules, courses, and textbooks. We hope for this to be an interactive symposium that leaves participants with the tools and motivation to find and contribute to ecology-relevant OER.

Seaman, J.E. and Seaman, J. 2020. Digital Texts in the Time of COVID: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2020. https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/oer.html

Presentations:

• 1:30 PM – 1:50 PM PDT

  Ecology for All! Finding and Contributing to Open Textbooks in Ecology Courses
  

  Presenting Author: Kyle Whittinghill – University of Pittsburgh and University of Vermont

  Co-author: Nathan Brouwer – University of Pittsburgh

  Co-author: Natasha J. Gownaris – Gettysburg College

  Co-author: Aaron Howard – Franklin & Marshall College

  Co-author: Castilleja F. Olmsted – University of Pittsburgh, Department of Biological Sciences

  Co-author: Dan Wetzel – University of Pittsburgh

  Co-author: Andrew Wilson – Gettysburg College

  Co-author: Taylor Zallek – University of Pittsburgh
• 1:50 PM – 2:10 PM PDT

  Ensuring a thriving open education resource ecosystem: perspectives from 20 year at the Science Education Resource Center (SERC)
  

  Presenting Author: Cailin H. Orr, Science Education Resource Center – Carleton College

  Co-author: Sean Fox – SERC at Carleton College
• 2:10 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

  The interacting roles of cyberinfrastructure and social support in fostering faculty engagement with open education resources
  

  Presenting Author: Sam Donovan – BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium
• 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM PDT

  The BEDE Network: At the intersection of data science and open source education.
  

  Presenting Author: Ellen Bledsoe – University of Arizona

  Co-author: Nathan Emery – UC Santa Barbara
• 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

  Discussion