Supported by NSF Award #2333297, this project aims to serve the national interest by convening a conference aimed at supporting the development and maintenance of open-source educational documents and technologies. Open-source materials are not only made freely available to any potential user, but can also be modified to fit new users' needs. Even when creators share open-source content, new users can encounter unintended challenges associated with hosting technologies for materials, unclear or incomplete documentation, or other factors. This project will bring together 24 professionals for a hybrid conference centered on the effective development and sharing of open materials and outcomes created through STEM education research and development efforts. Over three days, content creators and technology experts will undergo training on open source platforms, discuss effective practices for managing user communities, and explore technologies for authoring open source products. STEM education researchers will participate in those discussions and will also explore how to best conduct learning experiments and other studies using open educational resources, such as digital textbooks.
Professional development opportunities are relatively rare for scholars engaged in the development of novel open educational technologies that support STEM education research. This project speaks directly to that need. The conference will be designed to engage three groups of participants: document authors, technology developers, and researchers. Members of each group will work together on questions and challenges, and ample opportunities for discussion between participant groups will be provided to strengthen ongoing projects and seed future collaborations. Participants will be recruited through professional societies, conferences, and existing open-source ecosystems with an emphasis on identifying a breadth of attendees representing diverse experiences and expertise. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.