Bob Casper, Laurel Traynowicz and Michael Strickland presented at the Open Education Conference from Oct. 10-12 in Niagara Falls, NY.
They presented with Jasmine Roberts from Ohio State University on “Who are you calling racist? OER’s role in addressing institutional discrimination.” Race is a major, but not the only, factor signaling the potential for discrimination. Gender, class, sexual orientation, race, first-generation and other demographics combine to further distance a student from those of privilege.
What will it take for open educational resources (OER) to become the front line of textbook selection? Theories of innovation indicate that OER champions, gatekeepers and opinion leaders move innovation through one-on-one and then larger interpersonal and group persuasion strategies. Once OER is integrated into the way a school does business, much of the problem is solved.