The rising unaffordability of higher education

During Open Access week last fall, Assistant Director for Collections in the Libraries and Archives, David Wuolu, wrote an op-ed for The Record about the ever-present issue of the unaffordability of higher education. In that article, Wuolu discussed the impact that expensive textbooks and other course materials can have on students and offered information about Open Educational Resources (OER) and library-licensed content as alternatives to costly course materials.

UNESCO defines OER as “learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.”

The movement around open pedagogy builds upon the philosophy of OER, combining the use of OER with student participation in the teaching process. With open pedagogy, students engage deeply with OER to adapt or create new knowledge, often in the form of another OER. An open pedagogical approach recognizes that knowledge consumption and knowledge creation should be accessible to all, not just the academic elite.

In your classes at CSB+SJU, have you ever written test questions or created problem sets? Have you ever written a Wikipedia article? Have you ever publicly shared the work you’ve created in class? If so, you have engaged in open pedagogy!

This semester, the POLS 355 Globalization class taught by Pedro dos Santos is creating an OER glossary that will highlight key terms in the study of globalization and international political economy. This glossary will then be shared openly in Digital Commons, the CSB+SJU institutional repository, and will be a resource for not just future students at CSB+SJU, but people around the world interested in this topic.

This week (March 2-March 6) is Open Education Week, an international celebration of open education, with a particular focus on uplifting OER and open pedagogical projects. The OER Working Group, comprised of dedicated staff from Libraries and Archives, IT, and the Bookstore will be tabling in Gorecki (CSB) and the Learning Commons (SJU) this week. Stop by and talk to us about all things open!

We will also be administering a survey for students on course material affordability and the impact it has on you and your education. Fill out the survey at one of our tabling events and receive a free Bubbl’r! The survey will be open until Friday, March 13 and each participant will be entered to win a gift card to The Local Blend, Bo Diddley’s, or Gary’s! Help us in our quest to make education more open, accessible, affordable, and engaging!