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For my SPARC capstone project, I conducted an Open Educational Resources (OER) environmental scan at my institution, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). This assessment was designed to gain an understanding of OER usage and familiarity by faculty and students at the university. The environmental scan encompassed two surveys, one for faculty and another one for the students in the Promise Scholars program. The two surveys were designed in Google forms. They both comprised of multiple-choice and free-text questions.

• The faculty survey was designed to assess faculty OER awareness and usage patterns in their teaching. Through the survey questions, I also wanted to see if faculty would consider incorporating OER into their teaching materials, especially after the challenges they might have faced putting together teaching resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The survey for the students in the Promise Scholars Program was designed with a few goals in mind. The first goal was to assess the challenges students faced trying to acquire textbooks. The second goal was to evaluate if the students were aware of alternative learning resources like OER. The third and final goal was to determine if students would consider advocating for OER once they were aware of them and gained an understanding of how they might conduct their advocacy.

The mission statement I designed to go with the goals was aimed at inspiring a scholarly community that embraces open education and OER as fundamental to research, learning, and knowledge production for all students.

Two key articles helped me formulate the survey questions. The 2013 chapter by David Stern, “Environmental scans and the power of best practices,” and James Castiglione’s 2008 article, “Environmental scanning: an essential tool for twenty-first century librarianship,” gave me some ideas on how surveys can be utilized to assess OER needs for 21 departments with high enrollment classes at UCSB. David Stern stated how “Modification explorations should consider alternatives from non-traditional industries, but all deliberations must include a careful review of local characteristics.” A survey seemed the most feasible methodology for a remote learning environment where 21 departments with high enrollment in 50 courses needed to be assessed. A survey for close to 500 Promise Scholars was also feasible so that the students’ voices and first-hand experiences were amplified.

When conducting an environmental scan for an organization, a vital decision has to be made to determine a methodology that works in one’s environmental context. I needed a methodology that would help me gather data from 21 departments and 500 students who have been learning remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data gathered through the surveys was critical in helping my institution determine an OER program that works and addresses the needs for the students and faculty. It is crucial to note that there are various methodologies for conducting environmental scans in organizations. Several factors come into play in helping one determine the best methodology that works for their institution.