The Regional Leaders of Open Education (RLOE) just finished three weeks of synchronous programming for the first cohort of their Leadership Program. RLOE brings together a network of open educators with the goal of improving and scaling open education as a system reform to increase student success at postsecondary institutions. With an emphasis on reaching underserved student populations, the programming focused on leadership development and the creation of open education strategic plans for participants’ home institutions.
During this first year, a leadership team, under the direction of Dr. Karen Cangialosi, convened to create an open educational leadership professional development program which would support participants across 2-year and 4-year colleges/universities. The first RLOE workshop series was held across a three-week period between October 27 through November 11. Participants were asked to engage in both asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities during this time. The structure of the synchronous meetings reverted to fully virtual via Zoom as a result of the pandemic travel and safety restrictions. Instructional technologist, sociology professor, and RLOE advisory team leader Dr. Deidre Tyler notes, “Technology has allowed us to reach many students, faculty, and staff by creating a continuous learning community. ” The program provided multiple opportunities for cohort participants to explore various open tools available for teaching, learning, and collaborating over the course of the workshop and ongoing strategic process.
The workshops were led and facilitated with the support of the RLOE advisory board and nine collaborators with the project. This diverse leadership team was recruited intentionally for their own lived experience and expertise working with marginalized students. Advisory leader and professor Dr. Esperanza Zenon from River Parishes Community College notes, “RLOE provides leadership opportunities for individuals who aren’t typically thought of as leaders, agency to individuals who are aren’t typically self-advocates, and voice to those who are often marginalized.”
A total of 33 individuals, representing 23 institutions, participated in the first cohort of RLOE workshops. Dr. Carlos Goller, advisory team leader and associate professor at NC State University, encapsulates the intention behind the network well: “The RLOE team is a welcoming community of peers where collaboration and brainstorming instead of hierarchy are emphasized… where student voices start the discussions, and where participants at all stages of ‘open’ work on centering the learner first and reducing barriers.” Dr. Rebecca Ortiz, professor of psychology and RLOE advisory team leader adds, “Based on resources and best practices, librarians, faculty, and administrators are coming together with students to shift historical exclusionary practices in higher education. From open education practices to strategic planning, this approach creates a vibrant dynamic where marginalized communities can assume leadership positions through the development of cultural wealth and empowerment.”
In addition to the participants, collaborators, and the leadership advisory team, six students from four institutions participated in components of the synchronous learning. Dr. Kim Grewe, an instructional designer at Northern Virginia Community College and the program developer for RLOE adds: “We are excited to model our open philosophy by centering students. In synchronous sessions, students spoke as authorities about their experiences in college and shared the barriers they had to overcome to succeed. They advocated for OER and open pedagogical approaches in the most compelling way. Their voices were respected and honored and have helped drive the ideas for the strategic plans.”
The participants will work on implementing their open strategic plans and will receive ongoing mentoring from leaders and expert collaborators, opportunities to attend monthly help sessions, and continued community building via online tools throughout the grant period (until Jan 2023)
We look forward to our 2nd cohort joining our RLOE network during our program Jan 24 – Feb 11, 2022. (And a third cohort in May). There are still spaces available (with scholarship possibilities), so please share the Invitation to Participate.
For more information on the RLOE Leadership cohort program please visit rloe.org.