Diversity and OER

Open Educational Resources (OER) were developed in response to the traditional textbook model, which is driven by for-profit publishers (and occasionally leads to $999 textbook costs!). Given the levels of creative control that are possible by drawing upon openly licensed material, faculty are newly enabled to adapt and tailor the course content.
As we start to create our own OER, it’s good to keep in mind – are we just re-inventing the wheel, or using the platform as an opportunity to re-shape the curriculum in ways that reflect the needs of the student population?
For example, an OER course site can integrate more up-to-date readings into the course, or hone in on a specific topic not as well covered by existing textbook offerings. One example of this new potential is a UK-based project on the topic of LGBTQ Health: relying upon open resources, they developed student-led programming on the topic, recorded interviews, and more.

In a post about “Equity & Openness” from the Community College Consortium,  educator Quill West shares about her experience: “One of my realizations was that still, even with OER, authorship looks like a single or cohesive collection of people authoring materials meant to be used by everyone else. There is a very clear line between who writes educational material (mostly academics educated in a Western tradition) and who consumes educational resources.” 
West’s observation that “OERs are not inherently diverse, nor are they necessarily inclusive,” is a good one to keep in mind. There is significant potential for courses to develop in a way that supports student learning and involvement, and provide alternatives to the traditional top-down model referred to above.