Wondering about the possibilities of developing a course on the OpenLab? As part of their popular “In the Spotlight,” blog post series, the OpenLab featured an excellent OER course this week. Designed by Professor Javiela Evangelista, the class “Africana Folklore” was converted so that the syllabus, course materials, and assignments are all part of a shared, public OpenLab site.
One exciting part of the course is that students go on a field trip to the studios of Democracy Now!, in order to explore “how independent media outlets are committed to the survival of stories… that may not be highlighted in mainstream media.” As the blog post notes, this helps to “draw a contemporary parallel to the ways in which Africana Folklore ‘highlights the survival of African descendant people (and their stories) by way of oral, material and customary traditions.'”
The course assignments pair videos with readings, in order to enhance the multimedia aspect of the course, and they’re all easily accessible from any device.
Feel free to take a closer look, here! – Africana Folklore: AFR1130
A Closer Look: Creative Commons Licenses
If you’re someone who’s interested in creating OER, or finding open materials to use in the classroom – this post is for you! We’ll be taking a closer look at how to identify and understand the symbols in Creative Commons Licenses.
Step 1: How to identify a Creative Commons License
If it’s a Creative Commons License, it’s going to look something like this:
The circle on the left (CC) stands for “Creative Commons.” Simply put, this means the item is NOT under traditional copyright.
Step 2: What do the Creative Commons symbols tell us?
Great question! The symbols can be a bit confusing at first glance.
The above definitions were written in “legal-ese” – and although the details are important, here are explanations below in more plain and simple language:
The person-icon, CC: BY, indicates that you are crediting the original source. All of the licenses include the “BY” symbol, because we will always credit the creator – even if the work is modified, or content changed.
The next icon, SA (at left), stands for Share Alike. If you share the work, you have to stay with the original license that you found it under.
The equal sign means: you can use the material, but you cannot alter the content. It’s called ND, No Derivatives.
And lastly, the dollar sign – NC for Non-Commercial, means that the work may not be used for profit/ commercial purposes.
Step 3: Creative Commons and You
After reading the above, the symbols might still be a little hazy – but the gist of it is to consider how these licensing options can impact Your work. Would you want your OER to be available for commercial purposes? Do you want to limit how future users can modify the content?
All of these considerations are made possible by the Creative Commons Licenses, and we’ll take an even closer look in our next blog post in this series.
OER: A Galaxy of Opportunity
We’re excited to present a new exhibit in the front Library display cases. The layout was based on the image below, with an eye-catching visual design by CityTech student William Luperena and CityTech alum Philip Zeng.
The theme is intended to spotlight Open Educational Resources (OER). 100% free of cost, they have the same quality standards as a traditional textbook – and without the $200 price-tag!
“ZTC” = Free!
The rocket-ship/space design is a reminder that OER opens up new possibilities. If you sign up for “Zero Textbook Cost” or ZTC courses, they’ll be cost-free when it comes to textbooks or materials. You can save hundreds of dollars per semester.
OER are not only great because they’re free – although of course, this is a great plus! They allow faculty more freedom – your Professor can take the materials, adopt them to a specific class, “remix” the content. It’s possible given the “open” quality of OER, i.e. their open licenses.
OER: A Galaxy of Opportunity
Essentially, OER provide a new “galaxy” (!) of options for affordable learning in the classroom. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have, and also check out this blog post about how to find Zero Textbook Cost classes in CUNYFirst, as you register for the upcoming semester.
OER in Context
It’s been said that librarians appreciate OER (Open Educational Resources) more than anyone else. This may be only partly true, but it is easier to see the opportunities offered by OER when viewed in the context of copyright laws. Let’s take a closer look!
Traditional Copyright
You might not know that – from the moment your pen hits the paper! – your work is legally protected under copyright.
This means that as a creator, you have many legal rights by default – which is great!
Traditional copyright starts to feel more restrictive when you create something that you would like to be shared or distributed to others. If a work was created with the intention of being shared, traditional copyright may not be the best fit: users would have to ask the author for permission to use the work in every instance.
There is also always the option of using materials for educational or other non-commercial purposes, under Fair Use. As the US Copyright Office explains, “Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances.” However, because there are limitations and ambiguity in determining Fair Use, it’s much easier if the work was originally distributed under a more open license.
“Open” Licensing and Creative Commons
By “open license,” we typically mean a Creative Commons license.
These are designed to help creators extend rights to other users. For example, by attaching a Creative Commons license to your work, you can indicate to others that it is only meant to be used non-commercially (NC), or make sure the content is only re-distributed “as is,” without any changes (ND, indicating “no-derivatives”).
If you like, you can also use the license to allow users the right to “remix” the content – i.e., take your work, change it, and re-distribute it to others. These licenses are considered the most “open,” because they give users the most flexibility to use the work.
The Creative Commons licenses look like this image to the left: there are different variations depending on the license.
We’ll take a closer look at those icons in a future post!
OER: Everything but the Textbook
We tend to hear a lot about finding textbooks that qualify as Open Educational Resources (OER). But many other materials also fall under the OER umbrella, such as syllabai, lesson plans, lecture notes, interactive modules, and even whole data sets.
Open Courses
Some institutions are making it possible for outside learners to access educational materials. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) introduced OpenCourseWare in 2001; the site now hosts materials from over 2400 courses taught at MIT, with an estimated total 300 million visitors.
This means that you can find readings, and supplemental materials across many disciplines at MIT – Geology, History, Ethics, and more. The section OCW Scholar is specifically designed for those pursuing
Independent Study, and includes full video lectures along with course readings. Also check out OCW Educator for suggestions of how their openly-licensed materials might be used.
Exploring the Wide World of Open Content
If you’re looking for something specific, you can use one of the OER repositories to search by item type, across many different institutions.
For example, the OER Commons links to Syllabi from various universities. This could be a great tool for generating ideas on how to teach a course, and instructors could potentially adopt key assignments or readings.
It’s also possible to also search by categories like Game, Data Set, Unit of Study, and others.
If you’d like to search for other open courses, you can use this tool to look for them by subject or topic.
Questions about finding OER? Feel free to reach out to Prof. Cailean Cooney, OER Coordinator at ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Finding OER Textbooks
Open Educational Resources (OER) are being created at many of the nation’s colleges, and around the world. They’re free, openly-licensed educational materials that you can either use for your own learning purposes, or integrate into a course site for a class.
But – where do we find them?
One place to start looking is an OER repository. This is a site intended to gather materials so educators can more easily access them.
OpenStax Textbook Network – Available from Rice University, the site offers peer-reviewed, quality OER textbooks by subject (Math, Physics, and more).
College Open Textbooks – They link to open textbooks from across the web, listed by subject/discipline.
Other sites are the OER Commons, and Open Textbook Library from University of Minnesota.
How do I evaluate if this is a good resource?
Great question! You’ll evaluate it in the same way you might for other materials.
As you’re reading, consider whether the material is relevant to you or your course. Does it have advantages/disadvantages over the current text? Does the reading level seem like a good fit? If you like, you can even test how “readable” the text is with an online tool.
But OER can be more than just textbooks, right?
Absolutely! OER can refer to any material – a syllabus, lesson plan, video, text – that is made available for others to share and use, through an open license. We’ll explore the complexities of using Creative Commons Licenses in another post. For now, feel free to check out their website, or be in touch with Prof. Cailean Cooney (OER Librarian) with any additional questions! (CCooney@citytech.cuny.edu).
And if you feel ready to jump into OER – check out the Summer 2018 Faculty Fellows Program. Applications are due today, Tuesday April 10th!
Interview with an OER Faculty Fellow
Professor Susan Brandt participated in the Spring 2016 Faculty Fellows Program. We interviewed Professor Brandt in order to hear her reflections about the Program, and also to learn more about how the OER materials were adopted into the course.
Would you describe the OER you created?
As a fellow in the OER program in 2016, I learned about OER-created content and the importance of Creative Commons Licensing. The current version of the course, ENT 1102: Health and Safety in Production, uses two online platforms, Blackboard and OpenLab.
What was the process like, in converting the course to OER?
Before the Fellowship began, the course was already 100% on Blackboard.The transition to OpenLab meant rewriting all the lectures and using Creative Commons licensing of the supporting content.
Also, each lecture was updated twice during the Fellowship, to conform to changes in health and safety regulations. Laws regulating SDS, labeling, and the safe handling of materials are changing in the United States and around the world. The goal is to keep the content interesting and accessible to current students.
Are there any other reflections you would like to share?
The course has been successful in accessibility, as the students now have 24-hour access to the course materials. They are able to read and learn at their own pace. The flexibility provides the students opportunities to attend school, work, and live, by providing a modern educational setting outside of a traditional classroom. I am considering using OER for other courses I teach in the future.
Also, we’ve been doing a meet and greet with the Health and Safety students at the start of each semester. We hope to answer questions, and meet the students face to face. The experience is designed to jump-start the students who are not yet engaged in the course. All of the students are invited set up appointments with the Faculty if they need help getting started at any time.
Want to learn more? If you’re interested in OER at CityTech or the Faculty Fellows Program, feel free to reach out to Prof. Cailean Cooney (Chair of the Library’s OER Committee), at ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Interview with an OER Faculty Fellow
Professor Anna Matthews participated in the Spring 2017 Faculty Fellows Program, in conjunction with the recent statewide initiative to develop and encourage use of Open Educational Resources (OER) across both CUNY and SUNY. We interviewed Professor Matthews in order to get feedback on the Program, and also to hear about her experience using OER in the classroom.
Would you describe the OER you created?
DEN 2315 (Oral Pharmacology) OER is a collection of resources for study and research of pharmacology offered by educational, professional, and governmental organizations. There are also links to many helpful YouTube videos that I reviewed for accuracy in presenting the information. In addition, I created and shared several illustrations, which I hope are helpful. The site is organized in several parts: ‘topics,’ ‘study,’ ‘research,’ ‘learn more,’ and ‘helpful resources.’
How did the students react to the OER materials?
The site is open to all students – those who take DEN 2315 with me and other students in our program (who take the course in the Fall semester). I have heard some positive responses from the students in our Summer session as well as the other sections who visited the OER. They said that it was well organized and that the additional resources listed on the site were helpful.
How can the site be used? Is it available for anyone to access?
Yes – membership for this OER is not required, the site is open.
What were some of the challenges or obstacles in creating your OER?
One of the challenges in working with this OER is not related to the site itself, but rather is due to the fast-changing nature of the subject. Pharmacology is a study of drugs and their effects on the human body and in our DH course particular emphasis is placed on the drugs and their therapeutic and adverse effects on the oral cavity. Staying current about new and emergent diseases and therapies is vital to providing safe patient care. As I intend to be using the OER in the upcoming Summer session 2018, I have been and will continue to review the information for accuracy and provide periodic updates.
Will you continue to integrate OER materials into your teaching?
Going forward, I will continue to review, update, and use the OER in my Summer sessions and will share the information with all students in our program. I appreciate the opportunity to have participated in the OER Fellowship in Spring 2017. This experience was definitely beneficial to me as an educator, but it also helped me as a researcher and writer by providing the invaluable knowledge on the open resources, authorship rights, Creative Commons licensing and appropriate citations, and especially permissions to re-use media (videos, images) in creative works.
Want to learn more? If you’re interested in OER at CityTech or the Faculty Fellows Program, feel free to reach out to Prof. Cailean Cooney (Chair of the Library’s OER Committee), at ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Call for applicants– Spring OER Fellowships
The City Tech Library is pleased to announce its call for applicants to the Spring 2018 Open Educational Resources (OER) Fellowship.
About the OER Fellowship:
Approaching its fourth year, the fellowship funds faculty to curate an OER to replace a textbook as the ONLY required material in a course they teach.
Faculty accepted for the fellowship will participate in a series of 4 seminars this coming spring (February & March), complete the OER in June, and pilot the OER as the only required course material in their fall course.
Fellowship Requirements:
–Active participation in faculty development seminars (Spring 2018)
–Submit the finished OER, housed on an OpenLab site (June 2018)
–Teach with the OER in at least 1 section and coordinate with department to expand adoption (Fall 2018)
–Present in a faculty panel to report on classroom adoption (mid Fall 2018)
–Submit a brief written assessment of the experience (January 2019)
*Before applying, please review your proposal with your Department Chair for approval to 1) develop an OER for the course you propose; 2) teach with the OER next Fall 2018.
Payment:
Faculty will be compensated at or above $1,300 for full participation in the OER Fellowship.
Apply:
Review program guidelines and submit your application online at http://cityte.ch/oerfellowship – due Wednesday, November 15th, 11:59 p.m. EST.
Questions?
Contact Cailean Cooney, Assistant Professor / OER Librarian at ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Faculty will be notified of acceptance in early December.
Copyright workshop, 11/3/17, 12-1:30 PM
We’re doing a brand new workshop for faculty this Friday, November 3, Copyright for Teaching, Open Educational Resources and Scholarship!
Is it ethical to post an article to Blackboard if it’s not available online? Should you sign a restrictive author agreement with a publisher? Is it legal to show students a film in class?
As part of teaching and scholarly practices, we routinely confront (or ignore) the challenges introduced by copyright. This workshop will demystify copyright misconceptions and introduce practical solutions for the common copyright challenges you confront as a teacher and scholar.
Where: Library Modular Learning Space, A543
When: Friday, Nov. 3, 12:00-1:30 pm
Open to faculty. RSVP to Prof. Monica Berger, mberger@citytech.cuny.edu
