By SU Public Relations
SALISBURY, MD—Salisbury University and the University System of Maryland’s William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, a lead partner in the statewide Maryland Open Source Textbook initiative (M.O.S.T.), recently brought academic professionals from 40 institutions together to explore open education and open educational resources (OER)-enabled teaching and learning at postsecondary institutions.
The one-day Maryland OER Summit explored the contours of open pedagogy, from philosophical questions it raises about power in the classroom to practical questions about how to jump into the practice. At the heart of the conference was the question: What happens when students and their academic collaborators drive knowledge creation?
“Today marks a pivotal moment as we are going to delve deeply into the rich landscape of open pedagogy and its profound implications for teaching, learning and knowledge creation,” said SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “I am thrilled that SU, in collaboration with the Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative, is hosting this summit, especially as we are celebrating M.O.S.T.’s 10th anniversary. Our University’s commitment to advancing open pedagogy, fostered by the M.O.S.T. institutional grant we received in 2022, positions us not only to participate but to lead these discussions about the transformative power of open educational practices.”
Keynote speaker Robin DeRosa, director of learning and libraries at Plymouth State University, presented “The Heart of Open Education: Rethinking the Place of Pedagogy.”
DeRosa explored the concept of “open” from a pedagogical perspective and examined the potential the approach gives educators for reconnecting with their sense of mission and joy in working in higher education.
The M.O.S.T. initiative aims to increase access, affordability and achievement for all Maryland higher education students through OER and is led by the USM Kirwan Center in partnership with MarylandOnline, the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, the Maryland Independent College and University Association, and the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium.
Cohorts from SU and Montgomery College, both recent M.O.S.T. institutional grant recipients, presented in featured sessions highlighting their projects associated with building institutional capacity around open pedagogy.
The panel of SU’s Open Pedagogy Fellows included Drs. Charles Wight, ninth SU President and current professor of chemistry; Yuki Okubo, associate professor of psychology; Jennifer Cox, associate professor of communication; and Brandye Nobiling, professor and program director of public health.
Panelists discussed the rewards and complexities of their experience and highlighted the innovative strategies aimed at engaging students as partners in knowledge creation.
The panel was moderated by Dr. Jessica Clark, assistant provost of faculty success and associate professor of biological sciences, who received the M.O.S.T. grant supporting the faculty fellows, the summit and related initiatives.
“Working with our faculty fellows, I was excited to see the diverse open educational practices already being used to ensure student access and engagement,” said Clark. “Their ability to empower students to produce knowledge while mitigating the risks associated with open sharing demonstrates their commitment to equitable, open education.”
When asked how to make open pedagogy and OER more widespread and adapted across institutions, Clark was optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.
“We are all here today, and I think that speaks volumes,” she said “I hope through collaborative discussions like this, we can all help shift the culture of academia. There is a tremendous amount of commitment in this room today, and what you take with you to implement at your institutions is an impactful step forward.”
Attendees also engaged during concurrent sessions and lighting talks including topics surrounding ChatGPT, student toolkits, Wiki Edu, faculty fellowships and more.
For more information on the Kirwan Center and OER visit https://www.usmd.edu/cai and www.oer-maryland.org.
Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.