The campus community is invited to a series of events Tuesday, Sept. 24, in ARKU 512 to learn about ways to reduce the cost of textbooks for students. Speakers from the Open Textbook Network will be visiting the University of Arkansas to provide a full day of workshops focused on open educational resources.
Earlier this year through the Libraries’ membership, the U of A became the first 4-year university in the state to join the Open Textbook Network. The Open Textbook Network brings together teaching faculty, academic librarians, instructional designers, campus administrators and others engaged in advocacy for open educational resources on over 600 campuses. Joining the Open Textbook Network provided the opportunity to host two of their national workshop presenters on campus.
Joe Nowakowski, economics professor at Muskingum University in Ohio, and Michelle Reed, open education librarian at UT-Arlington, will give three presentations for a variety of audiences at the U of A.
9:30-10:30 a.m. Administrators Coffee — University administrators are invited to a brief, informal gathering to learn how they can support expanding OER on campus. Registration is available online.
12:30-2:30 p.m. Faculty Workshop — The purpose of the workshop is to introduce faculty to open textbooks and the benefits they can bring to student learning, faculty pedagogical practice and college affordability. Participating faculty will be invited to engage with an open textbook in their discipline and will be offered the opportunity to write a brief review, for which they will be eligible to receive a $200 stipend. Review slots are limited, and reviewers will be chosen based on the availability of open textbooks in applicable subject areas. TIPS will provide lunch for participating faculty beginning at 12:15, and the presentation will begin at 12:30. Please register here.
3-4:30 p.m. Partners Workshop — The partners workshop is for anyone who interfaces with teaching faculty and can support or encourage the adoption of open textbooks. This includes librarians, instructional designers, educational technologists, bookstore staff and student success advocates. Attendees will gain familiarity with open resources and current OER initiatives, practice addressing commonly asked questions about OER and discus paths for integrating current workflows with OER efforts. This is an open opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about OER to attend. Please register here.