It’s common to hear the refrain that OER can’t meet the same needs as commercial publishers: they aren’t as specific, as broad... This angle leaves out a crucial point: considering the age of the OE movement, we’ve made tremendous progress! While open textbooks might not exist for every field, OER aren’t just textbooks. They come in every shape and size that has value in education, and that’s a strength! Ignoring this diversity discounts the work practitioners have done in creating, remixing, and leveraging diverse learning materials together. And that doesn’t even include OEP! The presenters will start a discussion about how looking at our work from another angle can help OE advocates have more productive discussions. We’ll share examples from across open movements to highlight how collaborative, open work yields more for the community than commercial actors can provide. Attendees will be invited to consider how they can acknowledge the progress they’ve made as well.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- Recognize 3 major areas where the OE community has developed over time.
- Identify new talking points they can leverage when promoting open education.
- Contextualize the breadth of OEP happening in their local context.
