We created The OER Adoption Journey to support faculty, librarians, and instructional designers working through OER adoption. We recognize and value the significant OER contributions that have come in advance of this work that create a foundation on which we can build a process for adoption, link readers to the existing open source content background material, and frame that existing work with questions to guide student-centered adoption. At its core, this work is about mindset how adopting faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and other supporters think about their approach to OER adoption in support of student learning within a diverse set of learning spaces.

Our goal with The OER Adoption Journey is also to model what integration of OER material can look like within learning materials. The OER Adoption Journey is a guided walkthrough of adoption for a class/space, not a standalone resource. We draw heavily from existing Creative Commons licensed materials instead of recreating this information. The OER Adoption Journey also demonstrates the value and purpose of collaboration amongst OER adopters. This work started with Kim’s efforts to shift a Millersville OER adoption mentoring program online during summer 2020 (the beginnings of the COVID pandemic). Nicole and Matt supported her efforts, helped fill in some content, and built modules to model the OER adoption experience. As we collaborated and built, we recognized how much our work modeled the tenets of open pedagogy, and the value of open source materials to facilitate rich learning. We feel this work is only possible due to our collaborative efforts. We embraced open pedagogy, drawing from existing sources and repeatable uses of the work we were doing – the product of our collaboration. We wanted the work to be useful to not just the adoption group working with us in the summer of 2020, but to future groups and individuals working through OER adoption.

Our collaboration inspired us to present on our work at OE Week 2021, and continue this work with The OER Adoption Journey. You can view our discussion in this #MVilleOpensUp 2021 Millersville’s OpenEd Week webinar series.

Each of us came to Millersville University’s adoption initiative with a passion for OER adoption, and a drive to support students’ learning in addition to reducing their financial burdens. Through works like this OER book, we have guided educators on our campus on their OER adoption journey in ways that support student financial concerns, and most importantly, in ways that support enhanced student learning. By focusing on both areas, we’ve increased the likelihood of successful OER adoption, resulting in faculty continuing to adopt open materials. There are many fantastic research studies on the impact of OER on financials, and the impact of OER on grades. We encourage you to explore that research on your own, if you are compelled. But our focus is supporting the adoption experience to help you support your learners. We truly believe that all results start with the adopter mindset – how the adopting instructor thinks through their course design to support their students. This book is focused on that idea.

This book is designed with questions to help you think through your course design. We recognize many of the approaches commonly used with commercial textbook adoption can shift in positive student-centered ways when we approach course design looking specifically to open resources.

For our faculty adopters

Welcome. We are so glad you found yourself here. This book is designed with questions to help you think through your course design, recognizing many of the approaches commonly used with commercial textbook adoption can shift in positive student-centered ways when we approach course design looking specifically to open resources. This book is designed to help you work through the questions and build your course in Modules 1 and 2. Module 3 is designed to help you consider your student experiences with the newly designed OER course, considering universal design, student access, and assignments to demonstrate learning.

For first time adopters, Modules 1 and 2 may be enough for you. Come back to Module 3 as you see how your students work with the materials you’ve found.

For seasoned adopters, Modules 1 and 2 are designed to help you reconnect with your adoption processes, which can help you revisit existing courses, or continue adoption into new courses. Module 3 may also be a great place for you to consider starting your journey. Where are your students successful, and where do they need additional support? Where can you help your students experience the value of open through your assignment design? These questions may help you reconsider how you’ve scaffolded your course, at which point we encourage you to explore Modules 1 and 2 again.

We look forward to connecting with you on your journey – join us on Twitter at #OERJourney!

For our librarian adopters and supporters

Welcome. We are so glad you found yourself here because we feel Librarians are very important in the OER adoption journey. We encourage you to use this book as you consider OER within your learning spaces, such as information literacy instruction sessions or during research assistance. We also encourage you to read through these modules and use the questions as you work with faculty adopting OER. Our goal is for this resource to break down adoption into manageable, student-learning centered chunks. We hope and intend for this resource to then make your job of supporting adopters easier. In addition, we hope and intend for this resource to support your own efforts of finding and adopting OER.

For new to OER Librarians, Modules 1 and 2 walk you through space design questions and steps to help you connect OER to your learning spaces, and to help you connect faculty with OER in their course design process. Module 3 can be used to help with assignment feedback ideas, and assignment development as you support others and design your own learning spaces.

For seasoned OER Librarians, we intend for this resource to provide you with refresher information, and ideas for supporting faculty through the adoption process, for supporting OER adoption mindsets on your campus.

We look forward to connecting with you on your journey – join us on Twitter at #OERJourney!

For our instructional designer adopters and supporters

Welcome. We are so glad you found yourself here. Shifting to digital materials, and free open source resources does not guarantee student learning success. Your support of OER adoption and implementation is paramount to student learning success. We intend for this guide to support your efforts helping adopters consider how the resources adopted and integrated in a course align with student learning outcomes and objectives. Much of Module 2 should look familiar as it helps adopters consider how to break down their course.

We look forward to connecting with you on your journey – join us on Twitter at #OERJourney!

For our OER adoption program leads

Welcome. We have been where you are, and we are so glad you found yourself here. We created a learning management system version of this resource to support adopters on our campus as part of our leading of the Open Textbook Initiative OER adoption program on our campus. We designed our program to include leadership by experienced faculty adopters, librarians, and instructional designers. We formed our group partly based on our passion for open resources, and our belief that our collaborative efforts could support new faculty adopters’ success with OER adoption, with seeing not just financial benefits but student learning benefits. We hope you find this guide useful as you support faculty, librarians, and instructional designers at your institution.

We look forward to connecting with you on your journey – join us on Twitter at #OERJourney!

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