This document summarizes the SFSS OER Advocacy efforts led by Chardaye Bueckert and Brady Yano from 2013-2015. It describes outreach done with students, faculty, administration and government to promote open educational resources and open textbooks as more affordable alternatives to traditional textbooks. It also discusses challenges faced in gaining adoption, such as publisher pressure and lack of awareness, and lessons learned around building allies and continuing to advance open education. Opportunities for further collaboration are presented.

1. SFSS OER Advocacy
Presented by Chardaye Bueckert
@chardayeb and
Brady Yano @bradyyano

2. My Story
O 2013: BC Open
Textbook Program &
open textbooks as a
“no brainer”

5. O 2013-2014:Outreach
and awareness

6. “What Have You Done to
Avoid Paying for a
Textbook?”Some extreme:
• Picking classes based on book costs
• Dropping classes because of books costs
• Cramming with a shared book
• Translating
• Going without the book
• Using secondary sources for primary source
analysis
• Going without the book
• International travel

7. OpenCon 2014

8. What We Did
O Student outreach
O Faculty & administration engagement
O Discussion with government
O Library collaboration
O Liaising with other student unions

10. Challenges
• Lack of uptake at SFU and other research
based institutions
• Publisher pressure
• Lack of awareness amongst students and
faculty
• Academic freedom

11. Lessons Learned
O Allies abound!
O There is always more to learn
O There is always room for one more
O Open as the future

12. Success as a Next
Step

13. #textbookbrokeBC
OInspired by the USPIRG campaign
OUndergraduate student collaboration
between BC’s largest PSI’s - SFU and UBC
OLeveraging social media as both a free and
open platform

18. Opportunities
O Student union collaboration
O Cross border collaboration
O Canadian institutional champions
O Celebrating successes
OOpen textbooks became a hot topic in the
2015 SFSS elections

20. Thank You!
Any questions?