0. Pre-Workshop
Estimated time to complete three activities: 60 minutes
Activity 1 - Introduction
We will start with an ice-breaker in Slack. The intention of the ice-breaker is to foster sharing and openness with the hope that this will lead to interacting and bonding with your fellow participants. This is an important part of the overall workshop experience because we will be learning with and from each other.
1. Join Slack
You should have received an email from Junie Hayashi inviting you to join PRLS on Slack. Please be sure you accept the invitation to Join Now. Once you select Join Now, you will be taken to Slack. Enter your Full name, Display name, and create a password. Once you are in the PRLS workspace, please personalize your profile (upload a profile photo, add any pertinent information you would like to share).
2. Introduction Posting
Go to Channels and select #1-introduction. Start your introductory post. To add a photo and text, select "+" on the left of the message box.
By selecting "Return" or "Enter" on your keyboard you will be uploading your post. If you wish to edit your post, please mouse over your post until you see an icon menu. Select "..." to edit your post.
Please include the following in your post:
Post a meaningful photograph of yourself. It can be a favorite vacation photo or a family photo. Next, write a little about yourself. You can share why the photo is meaningful.
Share what you currently know about Open Educational Resources. If you know nothing about OER, that's fine, share that. We are starting right where you are.
Share what your motivation is for taking this workshop.
Activity 2
How Much Money Am I Saving My Students?
Fill out the form that calculates how much money your students save by your adoption of no-cost resources to your course. Prior to Monday's session, you will receive an email which uses the information you entered in the form and calculates how much money your students save by your adoption of no-cost resources.
Video and Articles
While Open Educational Resources have been around for over ten years, awareness of its existence and importance has started to surface more and more as a topic of discussion in the education community.
One of the dynamic advocates of OER and student-centered pedagogies is Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani, Associate Vice Provost for Open Education at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. You may remember him as a presenter at the Hawaiʻi Student Success Institute in March. He is the co-editor of the open access book Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science.
"Open education is really about intent. The philosophy of openness is about sharing. It's about collaboration. It's about transparency, and accountability." - Jhangiani
Open 101: Executive Summary
"Since 2006, the cost of textbooks has increased four times the rate of inflation. The textbook market does not function like others, where companies compete for their share of the marketplace and the laws of supply and demand affect the price of the product. In contrast, students must purchase the materials assigned by a professor, who may or may not be considering price among other factors when assigning materials. While students can save money with some types off [sic] digital materials and through the used books market, publishers have found ways to keep prices high and diminish the cost saving impact of these alternatives. Many professors who adopt publisher materials for their courses now require students to purchase more restrictive and costly products such as access codes, which hide homework and quizzes behind an online paywall. These products are costly because they are typically bundled with print or digital textbooks, and students usually cannot find the bundle for sale anywhere but at the campus bookstore, which locks them into paying full price. Worse, at the end of the term, the student's access to the online material expires, and this expiration also renders the other material in the bundle valueless in the market for used materials. Existing federal statue [sic] regulates the practice of bundling, but includes sizeable loopholes that allow it to continue. (Student PIRGs, 2018, p. 3)"
Continue reading the Introduction and Analysis (pages 5 - 8), scan Course Material Comparison (pages 9 - 19) and finish reading the Recommendations (pages 20 - 21) in Open 101: An Action Plan for Affordable Textbooks.
Executive Summary in Covering the Cost
Read Executive Summary (pages 4-5) in "Covering the Cost" where one of the key findings shows that textbook prices disproportionately impact community college students where 50% of community college students using financial aid for books.
Activity 3
Response to Reading
Select one of the questions below and post your response to the Slack PRLS #2-reading-response channel:
Rajiv Jhangiani states, "Open education is really about intent. The philosophy of openness is about sharing. It's about collaboration. It's about transparency, and accountability." What is your response to his statement?
What are the reasons that the price of textbooks have been allowed to increase four times the rate of inflation?
Checklist - Due by Monday (Start of PRLS)
Activity 1 - Introduction
Activity 2 - How Much Money Am I Saving My Students?
Activity 3 - Response to Reading
Next: Monday AM