OER @ Leeward
The Leeward OER initiative is part of a systemwide initiative at the University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges
“Open Educational Resources (OER) are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.” (Definition by UNESCO).
Purpose of This Website
The purpose of this website is to share information and promote transparency of Leeward CC's process as we weave OER into the campus culture.
Mission
Leeward Community College aims to eliminate barriers to quality higher education through the adoption of open education practices including the use of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy. We hope to build a local community of practice which participates in the global Open Education movement.
Goals
Increase student success
Reduce the cost of educational material for students
Collaborate on OER initiatives at Leeward, within the UH Community Colleges, and the UH System
Active participation in the larger OER community
Team Approach
Leeward CC has adopted the team-based approach for incorporating OER into a course. The team consists of at least one Librarian, one Educational Technologist, and one faculty (subject matter expert) working together using a systematic, project-based approach for each course adoption of OER.
Alignment with the University of Hawaii (UH)
As a college within the UH and UHCC systems, we are working toward meeting the 2015-2021 UH Strategic Directions commitment to "reduce cost of textbooks" and the 2015-2021 UHCC Strategic Plan commitment to "implement Open Educational Resources (OER) to replace most textbooks."
Memberships
Leeward CC is one of the campuses of the University of Hawaii Community Colleges (UHCC) System which is a member of the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, an affiliate of Open Education Global, and the Open Education Network.
Latest OER News
Botany in Hawaiʻi is the 1,000th title in the Open Textbook Library
Botany in Hawaiʻi, a textbook authored by Leeward Community College Assistant Professor Daniela Dutra Elliott and Lecturer Paula Mejia Velasquez was selected as the 1,000th title added to the Open Textbook Library, a highly regarded and popular website for open educational resources (OER).
Each title in the Open Textbook Library has undergone a review process before inclusion in the collection. The addition of the 1,000th title is a significant milestone for the Library as it celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022. The selection of Botany in Hawaiʻi for this honor is a reflection of the quality of this textbook and the uniqueness of its content.
The University of Hawaiʻi System is a consortia member of the Open Education Network, the organization managing the Open Textbook Library. The Network and its community of members across the US, Canada, and Australia have played an important role in the UH OER initiative through training opportunities, shared resources, and shared strategies, all of which have helped build our capacity to support local adoption, modification, and creation of OER like Botany in Hawaiʻi.
Congratulations to Daniela and Paula for authoring the 1,000th open textbook in the Open Textbook Library!
Open Education Network press release
Daniela’s and Paula’s OER Journey for Botany in Hawaiʻi EMC blog post
TXT0 Reaches 58.7% of Total Spring 2022 Classes at Leeward!
529 classes or 58.7% of total CRNs are labeled TXT0 in Spring 2022! This represents 220 courses taught by 170 instructors. With a total class enrollment of 8,755 students, the estimated textbook cost savings this semester is $875,500. A big mahalo to everyone who has transitioned their course away from commercial textbooks. Zero-cost textbooks and other no-cost resources, including subscription resources offered by the Library, help to make college more affordable to our students. Beyond saving students money, adopting OER and Open Pedagogy in the classroom benefits students by centering them as learners engaged in the content creation process.
Contact the Campus OER Committee if you want to learn more. Email leeoer@hawaii.edu, or reach out to one of your friendly committee members. See our TXT0 dashboard maintained by Pete Gross for additional data and a breakdown of the numbers. Be proud of your accomplishment, Leeward. We remain the leader in TXT0 and OER across the UH System!