Promotion and Integration of OER: A Case Study of the Community College Librarian's Role
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Authors
Smith, Amy E.
Issue Date
2022-05-12
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Community colleges--Curricula , Community colleges , Curriculum planning , Dissertations, Academic--United States , Education, Higher , Education , Textbooks , Librarians
Alternative Title
Abstract
Open educational resources (OER) provide college students with course materials on the first day of class, ensuring an equitable learning experience for all. The concept of OER has been around for almost 20 years, yet many faculty and librarians are just now becoming aware as more and more statewide initiatives are introduced. The adoption of OER has been a slow and gradual movement. Faculty are the driving force behind OER but need more support to understand, locate, and evaluate resources. Librarians across the country are skilled and capable of filling this gap. Faculty and librarian collaboration can bridge together ideas and resources to benefit students.
A qualitative case study was used to understand how faculty and librarians collaborated at a community college to adopt OER. Librarians and faculty were interviewed to understand their experiences of working together to promote and adopt OER at their campus. Uncovering the practices and strategies at this college could enhance the knowledge of faculty and librarians at other community colleges that are beginning campus OER initiatives. The study was guided by the following overarching research question: What strategies and practices are faculty and librarians at a community college in Alabama using to enhance collaboration to move OER initiatives forward?
Data collected and analyzed from the participants revealed seven primary themes. The themes centered on communication, student benefits, faculty hesitancies, departmental and administrative decisions, librarian partnerships, and campus repository building. Findings showed collaborative efforts of librarians and faculty helped move OER initiatives further at this college. Statewide collaborations of like-disciplined faculty and librarians could further advance OER initiatives across the state.
Keywords: Community College, Faculty, Librarians, Libraries, Open Educational Resources, Textbooks
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This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.