The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) has broken new ground with its Zx23 Project a yearlong grant-funded program to encourage every community college in the state to launch a Z-Degree or zero textbook cost degree program using open educational resources (OER). VCCS is using a collaborative model to develop and share OER-based courses across the entire system, using the VCCS system-wide Blackboard implementation and Lumen-supported OER course content. This enables institutions to expedite progress by viewing and building on each other’s work. Presenters from VCCS and Lumen Learning share program goals and approach, the collaborative course-sharing model (including VCCS’s very cool open course sharing site), progress to date, and advice for others exploring OER degree programs.
UGC NET Paper 1 Mathematical Reasoning & Aptitude.pdf
Vccs trailblazing oer slides_v2
1. 1
lumen Trailblazing OER Degree Programs in
VirginiaOER Degree Program Webinar Series
7 October 2015
2. 2
Discussion Topics
Trailblazing OER Degree Programs in Virginia
Introductions
OER Degree Programs and the “Z-Degree”
From Zero to Z: The Zx23 Project
Shepherding Collaboration
Drivers and Impact
Q&A Discussion
3. 3
Presenters
Trailblazing OER Degree Programs in Virginia
Lumen Learning
Nate Angell, Doorman
Cheryl Huff, Zx23 Program Manager
Virginia Community College System
Richard Sebastian, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies
Rappahannock Community College
Patricia Mullins, Academic Dean, Rappahannock Community College
Marty Brooks, Academic Dean, Rappahannock Community College
4. 4
About Lumen Learning
• Founders: Kim Thanos and David Wiley
• What We Do: Increase affordability,
access, and student success
• How We Do It: Courseware designed
using open educational resources (OER)
• Approach: Model openness
• Respect and build community
• Continuous improvement
• Openly license and share
Facts:
• .com company
• partially owned by a
charitable foundation
• formed in 2012
• led Kaleidoscope Open
Course Initiative
• based in Portland, OR
• 60+ institutional clients
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About the Virginia Community College System
23 colleges
40+ campus locations
240,000 for-credit students served annually
170,000 non-credit students served annually
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Defining OER
Open Educational Resources
(OER)
Any kind of teaching materials –
textbooks, syllabi, lesson plans,
videos, readings, exams
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Defining OER
Open Educational Resources
(OER)
In the public domain or licensed to allow
1. Free and unfettered access to anyone, and
2. Free permission to engage in the
“5R activities”
8. 8
Open licensing allows each user to:
Dr. David Wiley, http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/1123
• Make, own, and control a personal copy of the
contentRetain
• Use the content in its unaltered form
Retain
• Adapt, adjust, modify, improve, or alter the
contentRevise
• Combine the original or revised content with
other OER to create something newRemix
• Share your copies of the original content,
revisions, or remixes with othersRedistribute
Reuse
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Definition: OER Degree Programs
When elective and required courses adopt OER
instead of commercial textbooks, so that a student
can graduate without ever being asked to buy a
textbook.
10. 1 0
Why offer an OER degree program?
Improve student success while saving students money
Create reliable savings students can count on
Increase academic freedom for faculty
Speed students toward graduation
Increase institutional enrollments & revenue
11. 1 1
Launching a Zero Textbook Cost Degree
Program:
Associate Degree in
Business Administration
Impact:
• 800 students saved
>$128,000 in first year
• 6% lower drop rates
• “Tuition recovery”
recouped support costs
• Renewed focus on
learning outcomes
Tidewater Community College
19. 1 9
Zx23 Project Grant
$200k from Hewlett Foundation
$380k Match from VCCS
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20
Planning & Evaluation
Request for proposals, contracts, project planning
Vision
Why this degree program?
How is cabinet supporting the vision?
Communication Plan
With whom?
How?
• Project management
• Broad awareness
OER Review
Full courses
Existing resources
Difficulty to create
Enrollment Plan
Courses
Current sections
Timed transition
Faculty
Metrics
Support and Faculty Development
Plan
Faculty
Program leads
Campus support staff
Institutional leaders
Develop program leads
Choose the right degree
Engage faculty effectively
Set enrollment goals
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21
Communication & Coordination
Blog posts, webinar archive, project docs
https://bit.ly/zx23_archive
http://edtech.vccs.edu
22. 2 2
22
Team & Faculty Development
Pathways course, faculty workshops, site visits
https://courses.candelalearning.com/pathways/
26. 2 6
26
Zx23: Interim Results
16 institutions
100+ courses
354 faculty members
1. Business Administration
2. Business Management
3. Criminal Justice
4. General Education
5. Liberal Arts
6. Social Science
6 degree programs
42. 4 2
Key Ingredients: OER Degree Programs
• Measurable goals
• The right people
• The right credential program
• Sustainability
• Policy
• Rollout plans
• Communication
• Infrastructure
• Training & support
43. 4 3
Trailblazing OER Degree Programs in Virginia
Questions?
Add questions to the “chat” window
44. 4 4
Thank You
More Information:
info@lumenlearning.com
lumenlearning.com
Editor's Notes
At its core, open materials are 5Rs
First three are what impact teaching and learning
Bundling multiple texts is expensive:
Focused on return of investment of textbook
Revise: reduce the amount of materials
Opportunity for students to engage in materials…engaging students to revise and add to the textbook for their course
Free is awesome…but its just a part of what this is about
The use of OER aligned with the VCCS strategic plan at the time: affordability, access, success, which enabled us to integrate these efforts into existing strategic initiatives and system infrastructure.
Examples:
- Textbook Costs Committee
- Bookstore contract
Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF)
NVCC OER degree
VCCS Peer groups
New OER Peer Group
Engaging existing groups around OER subject areas
Annual faculty professional development conference, New Horizons
Powerful influence of faculty peers
It was here in 2014 that I realized these efforts had “gone viral”
http://www.public-domain-image.com/free-images/nature-landscapes/underwater/major-tourist-attraction-coral-reefs-near-beaches-along-the-red-sea-and-the-mediterranean/attachment/major-tourist-attraction-coral-reefs-near-beaches-along-the-red-sea-and-the-mediterranean
Local colleges, operating somewhat independently, contributed to shifting the culture at VCCS with their own projects
TCC Z-Degree, Associates in Business Administration
NOVA Associates in General Studies, Social Sciences
Faculty grantees in OER Adoption Grants
The System Office and colleges have become more collaborative
Every minute of faculty time is scheduled; we couldn’t ask faculty to take on any significant, new responsibilities without providing the support they needed
Support
VCCS-wide Lumen contract
Faculty Grant Incentives
Zx23 Program Manager to guide grantees through development of Z-Degree
Infrastructure
OER Course Tabs in Blackboard Learn
XOER attribute
Policy
Open licensing language in grants
After several years piloting successful system and local OER initiatives, including the creation of 3 new ZTC degrees, the VCCS launched the Zx23 Project, with funding help from Hewlett. The eventual goal: to scale Z-Degrees to all 23 colleges. We are currently 6 months into this year-long grant.
Meeting this goal is not a foregone conclusion and entails some risk. But we believe it can be done because a number of factors: