“OER”
Octopus Ear Rings?Open Education Roots. . .
If the various phrases above look like someone practicing for a Jeopardy question on acronyms, sadly, all the answers are wrong. First, LeVar Burton will tell you they aren’t phrased in the form of a question, and second the acronym “OER” stands for Open Education Resources. Excuse me. What are Open Education Resources?
So, what are OERs? At the RLB Library, they include our expanding list of databases on digital media history (thanks @kylemeikle!), MIT open case law, social sciences data sets, and Mexican Intelligence Agencies archives; our library of faculty publications that = lower or no cost textbooks for classes this Fall; and other open tools that help us collaborate directly with tutors, coaches, and consultants and get those resources out to students and faculty on a slick publication platform.
That collaboration is key (it’s part of what “open” means). We’re working together to build a set of resources that supports you not just with sources, but with a human library of experts. Who better to learn math and stats from than a fellow student who took your class?
To extend the collaboration, we’d love to hear from you! If you know of a good open source tool or resource, or want to suggest a fellow student who could be a tutor, coach, or consultant, suggest them in the comments section of this blog post or write Kristin Conlin: kconlin@ubalt.edu.
Part 2 of this series on OER will review LeVar’s work on Jeopardy and premier some great collaborations the library is doing to advance access to free or low cost resources.