View resource in Canvas Commons: Using OER and Open Pedagogy for Equity

Overview

Using OER and Open Pedagogy for Equity is an online course developed by Aloha Sargent and the College of the Canyons for the CC ECHO program. One of CC ECHO’s aims is to provide professional development for faculty and staff to empower them to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into their curriculums and OER with the end goal of creating culturally responsive classrooms for underserved students at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). In order to shift from “simply enrolling” to “intentionally serving” Latinx students matriculating at HSIs. The Using OER and Open Pedagogy for Equity course builds upon prior OER and student equity resources, incorporating updated research, analysis, and practices related to culturally-responsive teaching.

Although the course was created for faculty at HSIs in the California Community College system, the concepts can be beneficial for anyone who works in higher education today. Participants can expect to learn about how OER and open pedagogical practices support equitable outcomes at HSIs while engaging with the course readings, discussions, and quizzes.

Course Description

The course provides instruction on equity, open educational resources (OER), open pedagogy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. An equity cognitive frame is utilized throughout the course to examine the impact of textbook costs on student success and the disproportionate impact on historically underserved students. Additionally, participants can explore the growing field of open pedagogy and how to support culturally responsive teaching.

Modeled on open pedagogical practices, course participants are asked to contribute to the modules. When completing reflection assignments, participants are prompted to create a quiz question that can be added to previously completed quizzes. Additional content for each module is also requested.

Two versions of the course are available in the Canvas Commons repository: a “facilitated” version for those who want to offer the course with an instructor and a “self-paced” version that is designed for use without an instructor. In the “facilitated” version, participants engage in graded discussion posts, self-check quizzes, and reflection assignments that are evaluated by an instructor. Alternatively, those that participate in the “self-paced” version can expect to complete self-check and reflection quizzes as well as optional, ungraded discussion posts.

Both courses culminate with the creation of an action plan that outlines how participants intend to integrate OER or open pedagogy into their own courses. This assignment asks participants to consider short- and long-term plans, how their plans support equity-minded, culturally responsive teaching, and an anticipated timeline for implementation.

Course Modules

• Module 0: Orientation – Participants become acclimated with the layout of the Canvas course and navigate through course policies and tech support materials.
• Module 1: Equity – Equity is defined within the context of higher education. Topics such as true costs, basic needs, and Hispanic-serving institutions are covered in this module.
• Module 2: OER – Participants learn about Open Educational Resources (OER), how to find resources, and how to implement OER into courses. OER and equity are examined as well, with textbook costs, historically underserved students, and student success discussed throughout the module. 
• Module 3: Open Pedagogy – Open pedagogy and examples of open pedagogy are discussed. Additionally, the question of how open pedagogy supports culturally responsive teaching is explored.
• Module 4: Action Plan – In this final module, participants create an action plan using the knowledge they have accumulated during the course.

Development Process

Using OER and Open Pedagogy for Equity was developed to address the need for faculty to create culturally responsive learning materials. The project began in 2022, with Cabrillo College librarian and course designer Aloha Sargent working on behalf of the CC ECHO team. 

Sargent started by conceptualizing the structure of the course, which included identifying and organizing module topics. Additional compilations of existing OER materials included:

• “Zero Textbook Cost Pathways: OER & Equity” by Aloha Sargent and James Glapa-Grossklag, for California Community Colleges’ Zero Textbook Cost Degree program, licensed under CC BY 4.0
• “Digital Citizenship” by James Glapa-Grossklag and Aloha Sargent, for the Online Network of Educators, licensed under CC BY 4.0
• “OER Basics” by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim, licensed under CC BY 4.0
• “Open for Antiracism” course (2021-22) by Kim Grewe and Joy Shoemate, licensed under CC BY 4.0

In addition to existing OER, Sargent revised, updated, adapted, and remixed relevant content before tailoring it into a Canvas course. Sargent also created new content on Hispanic-serving institutions, open pedagogy, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Additionally, Sargent incorporated updated research on California community college students, pandemic impacts, textbook costs, and the connection between OER and student success.

The Team

Aloha Sargent is a Technology Services Librarian, Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC) OERI Liaison, ZTC Program Coordinator, CVC-OEI Course Facilitator, and Chair of the Textbook Affordability Subcommittee at Cabrillo College. Sargent has been involved with the California Community College system since 2009 and says that “OER and textbook affordability has always been a big part of [her] work, and a passion of [hers].” In previous years, Sargent has provided instructional design support for the first CCC Zero Textbook Cost Degree Program, won an Open Education Award for Excellence, and co-authored the OER textbook, Introduction to College Research.

Peer Review

The course was peer-reviewed for accessibility by instructional designer Helen Graves, who inspected the Canvas course prior to its publication in 2023.

Challenges

Before the start of the project, Sargent faced time-related difficulties and noted that creative projects can be difficult to start when pressed for time. Three primary challenges emerged during the course’s creation, and included issues with conceptualization, presentation, and currency:

1. Presenting complex concepts as comprehensive, yet concise, proved to be difficult. According to Sargent, each weekly module could have been made into its own course.
2. Presenting ever-evolving ideas and practices was an additional challenge encountered during the course’s creation. To add clarity and resolve the issue, Sargent incorporated many real-world examples. For example, links to the University of Saskatchewan’s open pedagogy courses and Amplifying Marginalized Voices, a culturally responsive open pedagogy project at Bakersfield College, were included in the course’s content.
3. Sargent faced the challenge of ensuring that all cited research was current, especially in light of any COVID-19-related changes.

Outcomes

In the summer of 2023, faculty from the consortium of colleges participating in CC ECHO took the course, facilitated by Sargent. The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. In the anonymous course survey, 85% of respondents agreed that the course improved their understanding of how OER supports equity, other benefits of OER, and improved their understanding of Open Pedagogy. 92% agreed that “As a result of this course, I am better informed about how OER and Open Pedagogy can support Culturally Responsive Teaching.

When asked about the most valuable aspect of the course, multiple faculty mentioned the data on how high students’ costs are and how that affects students. As one person put it, the most valuable aspect of the course was “Finding out just how extreme financial inequities are. I knew they existed but the scale was alarming.” Others appreciated the resources shared and the fact that the course modeled the practices that were being taught, which included providing feedback, and grace periods for assignments.

“Thank you for modeling best practices in teaching. Your kindness and flexibility made a difference in my experience! I also appreciate your prompt responses and personal feedback. All the things I value and you nailed it!”

Lessons Learned

According to Sargent, it was particularly difficult to figure out how to present complex, evolving concepts both clearly and concisely. Sargent learned to remedy this by using many real-life examples and focusing on the connections between the concepts. Referencing existing resources, such as research studies from the University of Georgia and Yavapai College, was a help to Sargent as well.

“I think most of all, I was very inspired by the work being done by colleagues across the state, and by practitioners and scholars in the field. Summarizing research and finding real-world examples was deeply enlightening,”

–Aloha Sargent 

Impact and Sustainability

Modeled on open pedagogical practices, the course asks that participants create quiz questions and suggest additional content for each module ensuring that the content can be updated and expanded each time the course is offered. Sargent hopes that the course contributes to culturally responsive teaching practices that enhance student outcomes at Hispanic-serving institutions.

Link to course: Using OER and Open Pedagogy for Equity

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