Governance / Open Educational Task Force Meeting: September 21, 2017

Open Educational Task Force Meeting: September 21, 2017

Conference Call

Members Attending: Annette Alvarado (Loyola University Chicago), Anne Chernaik (College of Lake County), Chris Diaz (Northwestern University), Kathy Ladell (Northern Illinois University), Elizabeth Nelson (McHenry Community College), Anne Shelley (Illinois State University), Sue Shultz (DePaul University), Janet Swatscheno (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Linda Zellmer (Western Illinois University)

Members Absent: None

Staff Attending: Elizabeth Clarage, Anne Craig, Lorna Engels

Announcements

  • Member announcements:
    • Kathy Ladell spoke to her Dean for their plan on OER. NIU libraries will have a workshop for faculty on October 24th. It will be on OER and how to help faculty look for alternatives for textbooks such as reserves or e-books. E-books search is not user-friendly, and will be discussing open textbooks.
    • Sue Shultz spoke with her Dean and to her AUL for Public Services and gave a synopsis of what occurred in Minneapolis at the Open Textbook Network Summer Institute (OTNSI) and Summit. Scott Walter, the DePaul University Dean of Libraries, has requested a survey of faculty and will be setting up a committee with Terri Taylor, teaching in learning department and herself.
    • Elizabeth Nelson had a summer textbook cost production camp, reducing textbook costs. Some were OER and e-books, to sort of quantify. They estimate a $400,000 savings a year for all students.
    • Anne Chernaik at the College of Lake County met during the first couple weeks of school she with staff in the professional development area and will be doing small presentations to department chairs
    • Annette Alvarado mentioned that Jennifer Boyle is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Arrupe College at Loyola. , Annette has created an OER LibGuide at her institution: http://libguides.luc.edu/arrupe/OER  
    • Janet Swatscheno has started to draft an environmental scan for whole campus, to see what is going on with OER publishing and adoption. She joined SPARK Open Education Leadership program that begins next Monday.
    • Linda Zellmer taught a workshop on OER then sent a very brief survey of department chairs to see which departments are using OER resources/textbooks. Did not get many yes’s and knew of the ones that were reported. KNEWTON was a resource she learned about. Recommended the use of older editions if it is possible.
    • Anne Shelley has not had much OER activity yet. There is a textbook affordability committee on campus, and it has been active for a whole academic year. Librarian joined them for their first meeting, a housekeeping meeting. She plans on reviewing a survey given to faculty last year.
    • Chris Diaz shared that he is working with academic technology groups to collect syllabi, to get a master list required resources for the 100 undergraduate classes on with the highest enrollment. This project is in the early stages.
  • CARLI Update:
    • Staff are working to add the MARC records for the Open Textbook Library to I-Share.  With the information from the OTNSI that the texts are stable and need to be changed more than 50% to have new editions.
    • Anne Craig mentioned that the CARLI Board meeting occurred last Friday. There is great excitement among the board about the OER task force. Thank you all for being part of this effort and the Open Illinois Initiative. The board is very eager for information about timelines, and when, what, and where activities will begin. One of the things the taskforce needs to do is develop some sort of communication that lays out what the membership can expect from  OTN membership. CARLI staff can come up with something for the task force members to review.  Communication is key so that the entire membership can understand exactly what they can look for with the task force as right now everyone has a different sense what will be happening and when.   
    • CARLI staff completed visits with the 4 new I-Share libraries which include Moody Bible Institute, Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, McHenry County College, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. They are very specialized libraries, and their rich collections will be added to I-Share next March. Two new webinars for library directors are coming up. One is demystifying the process getting your article published for October 17thwhile the other is on current copyright issues on November 1st.  Although information presented is an overview of the concepts the webinars are open to all.
    • The CARLI Strategic Plan will be the focal point of the annual meeting, in Champaign. Little new on our budget. Keeping fingers crossed.  ILA Conference is coming up in October and we hope to see you there.  CARLI will be represented there in full force!

Discussion

  • Introductions were made by all.
  • A question was asked if there were any changes that needed to be made on previous minutes.
  • The Open Textbook Network Summer Institute (OTNSI) provided focused train-the-trainer training. The Summit that followed the Summer Institute is the OTN’s annual meeting and provided the opportunity to meet other people who are working on promoting open textbooks and resources.  The Task Force discussed the best way to share the resources provided to OTNSI attendees with other consortial members as the guidance from the OTN staff was that they are provided to those that have been trained.
  • OTN/OER Information:
    • How would the task force like to keep their work together options include using a Google page or BOX to keep track on what we are working.
    • There is a large number of messages from the OTN listserv. It would be great to have one place to work or see information. Elizabeth created a Box folder for the OTN items.
    • It may work best to create a Google doc that we can all contribute for a collaborative project or presenting to the board. The OER Task Force web space for links are great.
    • Google doc situation appropriate for certain situations, too early to tell for all activity.
  • OTN Training. The OTN staff has said that the week of April 23rd would be best since the fall semester is already full for them. No specific dates yet but it is that week. Figure out location for trains, etc. easy transportation. Possible locations include central Illinois, a suburban location and in Chicago.
    • Who can attend: CARLI members who can emulate this program.
    • Vision for the CARLI OTN Membership and training.  It’s possible that every CARLI member is going to want to participate.  Open to the governing members at large.
  • CARLI has been getting messages from members that they are expected to give local workshops and don’t know where to start.  They are asking CARLI what they can do to help.
    • There is the expectation that task force members that attended the Summer Institute are OTN System Leaders and will themselves provide train-the-trainers workshops.
    • Anne (ISU) is planning on giving a workshop at end of October, internal workshop on OER. Explain summit and summer institute.
  • Question: Do we need to put together a cohort of system leaders, some schedules, training opportunities, where two or three system leaders do a program together?
  • Question: Would any task force members be willing to be a consultant to other CARLI members as they start their own local projects. Chris, having attending the symposium in Minneapolis, said that he is fine with offering to assistance to those doing workshops.
  • The Task Force discussed what would help to make them feel more prepared to provide training to the CARLI membership.
    • Task force members discussed their local efforts that would then provide feedback before they broadened their audience.
  • OER Open Textbook Network Documentation: How do we share materials to members outside the taskforce?
    • The task force discussed various ways to share the information from the OTN out to the membership as the OTN does not have the information on an open website.
  • CARLI OER WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT: To think of our organization and what type of materials you’d want on such a website. How do we want to start planning on what we want to put on the CARLI Website?  Members are interested in contributing.  CARLI Staff curate the website into logical buckets? A number of members that want to share OER to other members.
    • Maybe provide a basic page with links, with a starter OER site. What information should we share with the members?
    • Recommended best practices on OER, and OER site creation. That document could be a nice guideline, creating a pathway for those new to OER.
    • Links to some of those key resources. Getting everyone to contribute, give edit privileges. Easy enough to change and move over to a website. Ask in community to send in their recommendations to add to the site. Collaborative, member driven, initiative.
  • CARLI Annual Meeting
  • Task Force Meetings:
    • Members noted that it would be helpful if we could meet in person.
    • We will send out options on when to meet in person be before or during the Annual Meeting.
  • ILA Program on Open Illinois: CARLIL staff loaded some drafts, PowerPoint slides, to BOX. Email update current list to presenters.  

Decisions

  • Minutes from July 27th were approved.
  • Future minute takers will be in alphabetical order per TF members list.
  • OTN materials will be shared with CARLI Members via Box.
  • Anne S. and Sue will present a short overview of the OER Task Force at the CARLI Annual Meeting.

Tasks Assigned

  • Elizabeth and Lorna will contact CARLI members about holding an OTN workshop at their institution.
  • Annette will check availability to hold an OTN workshop at her institution.
  • CARLI staff will reach out to LOUIS to talk about how they implemented OTN training in their consortium.
  • Lorna and Elizabeth will create a survey to schedule a monthly meeting and an in-person meeting.

Next Meeting

To Be Determined.