Professional Development Opportunities.

OER Fundamentals Academy - Offered Through ISKME

This Academy will highlight the resources and tools on OER Commons and how the Open Textbook for Rural Arizona OER Hub can support collaboration amongst districts to build and share collections. The series will focus on:

  • Developing a knowledge of OER characteristics -especially related to Arizona faculty’s needs and resources.

  • Exploring Collections and Curation strategies.

  • Locating, remixing and adding resources to develop collections responsive to the courseware needs of Arizona institutions.

Session Descriptions

  • Session One –2/10, 1:00-2:30pm: Introduction to OER

  • Session Two –2/17, 1:00-2:30pm: Collaboration and Curation

  • Session Three –2/24, 1:00-2:30pm: Design and Peer Review

  • Session Four –3/10, 1:00-2:30pm: Peer Review and Next Steps

Faculty who participate in all four sessions will receive a certificate of completion for use on your CV for faculty development and faculty service documentation.

  • Date: March 24, 2023, 1:00-1:45pm

    Description: Faculty are knowledgeable, passionate experts in their content areas, often with all the skills they need to use and create OER resources. However, given their own educational histories or the way institutions are structured, diving into the new, rich, and exciting world of OER can seem to be an unnecessary drain on time and mental energy and a project beyond their capacities. Taking a different approach to introducing and/or expanding OER initiatives we can empower faculty in a new light to really impress upon them the power they have to make a difference by harnessing the excitement and deep understanding they have for their content.

    Register Here

  • Date: April 14, 2023, 1:00-1:45pm

    Description: An accessibility training taking an in-depth look at headings and how they are used in course design, how they impact the learner experience, and tips to successfully implement headings.

    Register Here

  • Date: April 21, 2023, 1:00-1:45pm

    Description: An in-depth look alternative text and how they are used in various contexts within a course shell, textbooks, or other openly licensed materials.

    Register Here

Open Office Hours

A dedicated instructional designer will be available on selected Friday’s for faculty and staff who have questions about the Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona grant or OER.

Office hours will be held every Thursday 9:00-9:30am from January 12 - May 25, 2023.

Additional Trainings