Overcoming Faculty Barriers to OER Adoption

Panel Discussion: Overcoming Faculty Barriers to OER Adoption Robert Awkward, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Effectiveness, MA Department of Higher Education Jessica Birthisel, Faculty, Bridgewater State University Elkie Burnside, Faculty, UMass Amherst Amy Clinard, Faculty, Bunker Hill Community College Connie Strittmatter, Librarian, Fitchburg State University Sue Tashjian, Instructional Design, Northern Essex Community College A survey of all 28 undergraduate-serving Massachusetts public institutions of higher education was conducted in Fall 2018. The results found that most prevalent barriers that preclude faculty from being able to utilize OER included: too hard to find the right material, not enough resources for their subject, not enough high-quality resources, a lack of ancillary resources and too difficult to change or edit. This represented 85% of why faculty did not explore OER! This webinar will showcase faculty from a community college, state university and UMass Amherst and how they were able to overcome these barriers and what effect it is having on their teaching and their student's learning. In addition, two of the most important campus resources for overcoming barriers is the librarian and instructional designer. The panel will also include one of each who share how they help faculty to overcome these barriers and find the resources they need to meet both their disciplinary requirements and the needs of the students for more accessible, quality and culturally inclusive teaching and learning materials. If you are a faculty member just considering the use of OER or you are ready to start, but are unsure of how to proceed, this webinar is for you!