What are the best practices for implementing open resources to a classroom, and how can educators adopt open resources into their classrooms successfully? Hear from Ariel Diaz, found and CEO of Boundless, and Dr. Tracey Wyatt, Academic Dean at York College, as they discuss proven ways to use, customize, and adopt open resources. To implement open resources into your classroom, visit www.boundless.com

1. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
How to Use Open Resources
in the Classroom
Ariel Diaz
Founder and CEO
Boundless
!1
Dr. Tracey Wyatt
Dean of Assessment & Assistant to the
President for Institutional Effectiveness
York College
March 12, 2014

2. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
“ Open Education Week
What Open Resources Mean for Education
Open Education gives people access to
knowledge, provides platforms for
sharing, enables innovation, and
connects communities of learners
and educators around the world.
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3. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !3Image: flickr user francisco_osorio
Open Resources:
Breaking Down Barriers

4. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
Challenges of Open Resources
“ Charles Kettering
People are very open-minded about new
things — as long as they’re exactly like
the old ones.
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5. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
Overcoming the Hurdles of Adoption
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OER Open WebsitesPublic Domain

6. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !6
Implementing
Open Resources
in Your Class

7. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !7Photo courtesy Tracey Wyatt, York College
York College
➡ About 500 students
➡ Private rural college in Nebraska
➡ Most students from rural areas, middle-class income
➡ Campus-wide push for digital, affordable resources
• Phase 1: Replaced campus bookstore with Akademos in 2012
• Phase 2: Digitalize library (moving forward in 2014)

8. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
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0
100
200
300
400
500
600
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Educational Books
and Supplies
Consumer Price Index
(1982-1984 = 100)
Textbooks prices: Rising at 3x inflation
3x
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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9. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
7 in 10 students
have skipped buying a textbook due to cost
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Source: Student PIRGS

10. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
A Paradigm Shift
➡ Student debt is higher than ever before — over $1 trillion on the national
level
➡ 7 in 10 students don’t buy textbooks because of cost
➡ We need a way to increase student access to educational materials and
reduce the cost barriers holding so many back
➡ Every college is different, but for a small, private college trying to be
cost efficient, cost effective and cost-sensitive, open resources are a
great option
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11. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !11Photo courtesy Tracey Wyatt, York College
If You’re Planning to Use OER
➡ Know who your students are
• Every student body is different — understand their financial and social
concerns
• Faculty don’t always have a firm sense of who they are teaching
• At York, 15% of our students were using digital resources of their own accord,
even before we made the campus-wide push
➡ Encourage faculty education
• Some older faculty may have established habits or preferences
• They may not believe change is happening, so educating them on the shifts in
student demographics, finances, and technologies is crucial
➡ Vet quality
• OER are an excellent resource for general education and the 100-200 level
• Ensure that the OER you’re looking at is high-quality, with some sort of external
vetting process

12. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
Supporting OER Effectiveness in Your Classroom
➡ Make OER central to the class
• Students don’t always buy the book, even if it’s free. Tying a quiz to each chapter
ensures that more students will download / access the assigned OER and do their
readings
➡ Ensure the solution of choice meets your class needs
• If your class is fully digital, online OER are perfect
• But if your students need the ability to print, ensure the materials students need to
grasp key concepts are printable without restrictions or limitations
➡ Support with external resources
• Although OER textbooks are appropriate for basic information, sometimes there’s a
need for specialized resources or opinion from experts
• Integrating with your classroom management system allows you to insert optional
additional materials to round out the curriculum
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13. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014
Conclusions
➡ Change is hard, but campuses looking to enhance cost-effectiveness
and access to education should embrace the new tools at our fingertips
➡ The key to using open resources and increasing student access to
textbooks is to remove all possible barriers for entry — cost, format,
etc.
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14. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !14
Thank you.
Ariel Diaz
Founder and CEO
Boundless
Dr. Tracey Wyatt
Dean of Assessment & Assistant to the
President for Institutional Effectiveness
York College

15. How to Use Open Resources in the Classroom [Webinar] | March 12, 2014 !15
Questions?
Ariel Diaz
Founder and CEO
Boundless
Dr. Tracey Wyatt
Dean of Assessment & Assistant to the
President for Institutional Effectiveness
York College