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. However, top down initiatives can also be seen as heavy-handed or interfering with faculty's academic freedom, so advocates must ensure that they assist administration in understanding the benefits of OER to students and faculty.

The benefits to students and faculty discussed in sections 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 open education 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. 

We know that turnover is a regular part of higher education, and this applies to higher education as well. As you consider writing your Executive Summary and other parts of your Action Plan Links to an external site., think toward the possibility of needing to advocate for OER with a brand new supervisor, dean, or provost. While context is important, it's equally important to be as concise as possible so as not to overwhelm people as you bring them up to speed as to why open education is a viable strategy that should work hand-in-hand with institutional mission.

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 Open Textbook Pilot grants ($5 million was awarded in 2018 Links to an external site. and 2019 Links to an external site.; about $6 million in 2020 Links to an external site.). Check out Oklahoma State University Library's video, which aligns OSU's open education initiative with its institutional mission and priorities. Note that Provost Gary 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 administrators recognize as critical for the institution. The University of Georgia study (PDF) Links to an external site. cited in section 2.1 offers a clear example of the power of OER in student retention and graduation rates. One of the findings of an Achieving the Dream study (PDF Links to an external site.) of 11 community colleges was that students taking "multiple OER courses on average earned more college credits over time than otherwise similar students who took no OER courses."1 The report concluded that OER adoption is a "strategic institutional initiative" whose impact can be expanded by connecting it to strategic goals and by providing high-level administrative support.

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..

OER as a Catalyst for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Administrators will recognize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as critical for their institution. OER may be leveraged as a catalyst to increase these aspects in curricular materials because of their open licensing. In a 2017 webinar featuring Francesca Carpenter, W. Preston Davis, and Daphnie Sicre titled "How OER Can Support Student Equity and Diversity," Links to an external site. 2 the presenters made it clear that OER are not necessarily diverse nor inclusive; it is what we do with OER in terms of thoughtfully curating, remixing, and revising resources that have the potential to make the curriculum more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

According to the Diversity and Inclusion chapter Links to an external site. of Abbey Elder's OER Starter Kit, Links to an external site.3 "Diversity in open education can be achieved by including a variety of sociological perspectives in your open content. Doing this ensures that your students can identify with and relate to your course material." Translating open books into different languages, adjusting the content of an open book to meet local cultural, regional, and geographical interests, revising the material for a different learning environment, or utilizing open pedagogy to engage students as co-creators are just a few examples of utilizing OER to reframe learning to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Section 3.4 will delve deeper into DEI and publishing.

A Few Examples

  • Kelsey Merkley, founder of Open Textbooks 4Africa Links to an external site., helped Astronomy faculty in South Africa to revise an open astronomy textbook. They wanted an astronomy textbook for the Southern Hemisphere so that the content could focus on what their students in South Africa actually see. Prior to this, most astronomy textbooks were written in Europe or the U.S. (Northern Hemisphere).
  • Justine Hope Blau, an English lecturer at Lehman College - City University of New York (CUNY), published an open anthology of essays written by her students, most of whom were immigrants, first-generation American, and/or people of color. The anthology is titled My Slipper Floated Away: New American Memoirs Links to an external site..4
  • Razi Ahmad created the openly licensed book Tajik Persian: Readings in History, Culture and Society Links to an external site.5 in order to help students develop reading proficiency in Tajik through authentic texts written for native speakers while providing examples into history, culture, and society of Tajikistan. 

Questions for Considering DEI and Open Education

At OpenCon 2017, moderator Lorraine Chuen asked the following questions of panelists when considering DEI in open research and education in a panel presentation titled "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Open Research and Education" Links to an external site.6:

  • How do the solutions put forth by the Open movements reinforce Western dominance, colonialism, as well as barriers on the basis of race, class, gender, ability, etc. . . ?
  • How does exclusion and a lack of diversity impact their own Open advocacy work in their communities and/or institutions?
  • How might they begin to address this in their own communities?  

Amplifying OER as an Equity Practice

In 2021, the DOERS3 Collaborative Links to an external site. 7 published a blueprint and self-assessment tool to guide OER practitioners and higher education leaders in identifying and acting on the equity dimensions of OER through programmatic activities and institutional processes. The aim of the OER Equity Blueprint Links to an external site. is to "foreground the role of OER in closing equity gaps." According to the DOERS3 Equity Work Group, "doing OER with an equity lens is doing OER well." Students, faculty, and administrators can use the Equity Through OER rubric Links to an external site. to integrate equity and equity-mindedness into OER programs to close equity gaps.

Additional Resources for DEI and Open Education (Optional)

 

Now let's take a look at an institution — the University of Arizona — that brings the benefits of OER into focus with its mission, vision, and values. 

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.)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: Our organization and employees identified five core values (PDF) Links to an external site. that we strive to incorporate into our work: diversity, continuous learning, innovation, collaboration, and integrity.

The website also features the Libraries' strategic plan Links to an external site.. According to the plan, four guiding principles inform our strategic priorities. The principles are:

  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, & antiracism
  • Hispanic serving
  • Native American serving
  • Default to open

The strategic priorities are:

  • Student success
  • Student learning
  • Research lifecycle
  • Information access
  • Organizational excellence

There are many intersections with OER here:

  • Removing barriers to access
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Student success
  • Lifelong learning
  • Innovation
  • Collaboration
  • Expanding global academic community

Other institutions may emphasize affordability. Keep these intersections in mind as you work on the upcoming activity for this module.

Optional Viewing

Optional Readings

Final Remarks

One thing we didn't cover in Module 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 furthers the ALA Core Values of Librarianship Links to an external site. and the Library Bill of Rights Links to an external site.. If not yet, no sweat! You'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss these concepts throughout the certificate process with your cohort. 

And conveniently, Module 3 will be all about the role of libraries!

Footnotes

1. OER at Scale: The Academic and Economic Outcomes of Achieving the Dream's OER Degree Initiative Links to an external site. by Rebecca Griffiths et al. is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site.. 

2. How OER Can Support Student Equity and Diversity Links to an external site. with Francesca Carpenter, W. Preston Davis, & Daphnie Sicre is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site.. 

3. The OER Starter Kit Links to an external site.by Abbey Elder is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site..

4. My Slipper Floated Away: New American Memoirs Links to an external site. by Justine Hope Blau et al. is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Links to an external site..

5. Tajik Persian: Readings in History, Culture and Society Links to an external site. by Razi Ahmad is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Links to an external site.

6. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Open Research and Education Links to an external site. by Tara Robertson et al. is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site.. 

7. The OER Equity Blueprint: The Role of OER in Advancing Equity Links to an external site. by DOERS3 is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Links to an external site.

Next

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