2.3 Administrator Audience
Building an OER program also requires engagement with a variety of people within the institution. In the context of higher education, this is likely to mean making the case for OER to administrators at the departmental, campus, and perhaps state or system level. Unless the idea for an OER program comes from the top down, we often need to persuade our institution's leadership to support OER and to provide funding and other resources.
The benefits to students and faculty discussed in subunits 2.1 and 2.2 may be attractive to administrators as well. In addition to those benefits, administrators have a distinct set of incentives and motivations related to their institutional mission. When you make the case to administration, be sure to think about how OER and your OER program can be a competitive advantage for the institution as a whole, not just individual students and faculty members. For an overview of the issues and list of talking points, revisit "Talkin' 'Bout OER
Links to an external site." if you need to.
Institutional Mission
Open education aligns in powerful ways with the mission of an academic institution (K-12 and higher education). At a general level, open practice aligns with the public service mission of many institutions and has been supported by governmental and private funders, including the Department of Education's GoOpen initiative
Links to an external site. and $5 million grants for 2018
Links to an external site. and 2019
Links to an external site.. Check out Oklahoma State University's provost's video, which clearly aligns OSU's open education initiative with institutional mission and priorities. Note that Dr. Sandefur talks about OER counting for promotion and tenure as well.
OER As an Institutional Advantage
In addition to this alignment with values and funding incentives, OER can be a measurable advantage in areas that administrators recognize as critical for the institution. The University of Georgia study (PDF)
Links to an external site. cited in subunit 2.1 offers a clear example of the power of OER in student retention and graduation rates. A high-profile OER program can also offer significant reputational advantages for a program that is not well-known. Tidewater Community College
Links to an external site. offers a powerful model as an institution that has garnered good press, supported new research, and positioned itself as a leader by investing in OER
Links to an external site..
Case Study
Using phrases and terms that resonate with your administrators is an effective way to frame your request and build your case. You can use aspects of strategic plans, missions, values, and visions to show how greater support for OER initiatives could help your institution achieve its goals.
At the University of Arizona, the Libraries' website highlights their mission, vision, and values: (Links to an external site.)
Mission: The University of Arizona Libraries are enterprising partners in advancing the University's priorities. We cultivate an environment that promotes inquiry, creative endeavor, scholarly communication and lifelong learning. Our resources, services and expertise enrich the lives of Arizonans, and contribute to an expanding global academic community.
Vision: The Libraries are the intellectual crossroads of the University, enabling innovative interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative endeavor.
Values: Diversity, continuous learning, innovation, collaboration, and integrity.
The website also features the Libraries' strategic map (Links to an external site.). According to the four directions of the map, the UA Libraries strive to be:
- An interdisciplinary physical and virtual lab (Links to an external site.) that transforms the way people teach, learn, research, and work.
- A catalyst (Links to an external site.) in the UA community for inventing creative approaches to knowledge creation and dissemination.
- A champion (Links to an external site.) of diversity, social justice, and equity in our organization and in how we work with campus and community colleagues.
- A connector (Links to an external site.) of people, resources, and ideas.
There are a lot of intersections here with OER:
- Social justice
- Lifelong learning
- Diversity
- Equity
- Innovation
- Collaboration
- Knowledge creation
- Knowledge dissemination
- Expanding global academic community
Optional Readings
- Read an article from Inside Higher Education about OER as an institutional survival strategy Links to an external site..
- Read more about strategies for opening up an academic department
Links to an external site.by Farhad Dastur.
- Explore the University of Texas Arlington's strategies for marking OER courses in the catalog Links to an external site. as a way to signal an institution's support for students and empower students to "vote with their feet."
- Read more about making an OER program sustainable Links to an external site. at the institutional level, from Open Oregon.
- Read about administrative support for OER
Links to an external site. by Josh Bolick at the University of Kansas.
Final Remarks
One thing we didn't cover in Unit 2 is strategies for discussing OER with other librarians! We hope that by the very act of applying to this program, you're able to convincingly explain why libraries are logical leaders of open education initiatives, and explain how OER further ALA Core Values of Librarianship Links to an external site. and the Library Bill of Rights Links to an external site.. But if not, no sweat! You'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss these concepts throughout the certificate process with your cohort.
And conveniently, Unit 3 will be all about the role of libraries!
Next
Now that you've learned about resources and strategies for making the case for OER to an administrator audience, go on to test your understanding with a self test by selecting the Next button below.