OER Adopter Interview Angelika Stout

Summary

Angelica Stout, a business communications instructor, shares her department's journey in adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance the consistency and relevance of course materials. Faced with the challenge of finding a suitable textbook, they opted for a customized approach, leveraging various resources like Lumen Learning and multimedia content. The shift to OER allowed greater flexibility and cost savings for students, with the ability to quickly update materials. Stout emphasizes the importance of collaboration, departmental support, and the role of the OER librarian in ensuring accessibility and copyright compliance.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Angelica Stout teaches business communications in the Marketing and Entrepreneurship department of the College of Business Administration.
• 📚 Business communications is a required class with multiple sections, taught by two full-time instructors and several adjuncts.
• 💡 The department struggled to find a textbook that fit their course objectives, leading them to pursue Open Educational Resources (OER) to customize their course content.
• 👍 The instructors were excited about the flexibility of OER and the ability to tailor the materials specifically to their needs.
• 🦠 The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, but within a year, they managed to adapt to remote work and pilot the new content.
• 🧩 They used a cobbled-together approach for OER materials, reverse-engineering resources to meet learning objectives.
• 🔗 Lumen Learning was a primary source for text-based materials, supplemented by diverse resources like TED Talks and infographics.
• 📂 A Canvas page houses all OER resources, organized into modules, and a blueprint course pushes content to adjuncts each semester.
• 🔄 OER allows for frequent updates, which is particularly useful for business communications, a field that changes quickly.
• 💸 Students appreciate the OER model as it removes the need for expensive textbooks, making the class more accessible to everyone.

Q & A

What class does Angelica Stout teach in the College of Business Administration?

Angelica Stout teaches Business Communications in the College of Business Administration.

How many sections of Business Communications are typically offered each semester?

Typically, there are 10 to 12 sections of Business Communications offered each semester.

Why did Angelica Stout and her team decide to pursue OER (Open Educational Resources)?

They pursued OER to provide consistent content across multiple sections and to customize the materials to meet course objectives, as they couldn't find a traditional textbook that met all their needs.

Was there resistance from instructors to the adoption of OER materials?

No, there was little resistance. Most instructors were excited about the opportunity to customize content and participate in material selection.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the OER project?

The pandemic slowed down progress as the team had to shift to remote work, but they managed to complete the process within a year.

What approach did the team take in selecting OER materials for the Business Communications course?

The team used a 'cobble together' approach, selecting specific resources to meet their learning objectives instead of trying to find one comprehensive textbook.

What types of materials were incorporated into the OER resources for the course?

They primarily focused on text-based materials but also incorporated videos (e.g., TED Talks), infographics, and other multimedia resources.

How are the OER materials organized and distributed to instructors?

The materials are housed on a shared Canvas page organized into modules by topic. A blueprint course is used to push out these materials to instructors each semester.

What are the main benefits of using OER for instructors and students?

The main benefits include flexibility in updating materials, reducing costs for students, and providing immediate access to resources.

What advice does Angelica Stout give to instructors considering OER adoption?

She advises connecting with an OER librarian to understand copyright issues and ensuring department support for larger course-wide changes.