January 2023 Newsletter

Greetings! I hope all is well and welcome to Spring 2023.

As the Open Educational Resources Coordinator and ASCCC OER Liaison for our college, it is my responsibility to share communications from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) with you.

Please read on to learn about upcoming events that are open to all.

If I can assist you in your considering OER or answer any OER related questions, please contact me or schedule an Appointment.

ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals (RFP) V (2023-2024)

Access the ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals V – Overview for important information regarding this funding opportunity and to view the Request for Proposals. All submissions are due on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 5:00 pm. Late applications will not be accepted, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Registration is required to submit an application. You can either create an account or use an existing account (i.e., Facebook, Google, or Twitter) to access the application. A general Completing an Application FAQs is available and you can contact ASCCC OERI for as sistance.

Access the ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals V Submission Portal

RFP V Office Hours

Our office hours provide an opportunity for you to ask your questions related to the RFP and discuss your RFP ideas with the OERI.

RFP V Reviewers Needed

The ASCCC OERI is recruiting reviewers for the ASCCC OERI Request for Proposals (RFP) V. If you will not be involved in any of the proposals and would be interested in participating in the review process, please complete the ASCCC OERI – RFP V Reviewer Application. The ASCCC OERI RFP V Review will take place in late February or early March 2023, specific dates are forthcoming. The review process will be conducted remotely and a stipend will be provided to participants. Please let us know if you have any questions about this opportunity.

New Resources

We’re pleased to announce that we have two new discipline collections, please share “Open Educational Resources and Ethnic Studies” and “Open Educational Resources and Journalism” with appropriate faculty.
In addition, we have a new resource that focuses on where there are documented gaps in OER: ASCCC OERI – Identified Gaps in OER Availability. This document is based on a review of the OERI’s existing curated collections and is presently being reviewed by the Discipline Leads.
f you – or any of your faculty – have questions about the OERI’s collections, please contact the appropriate Discipline Lead.

February 2023 OERI Friday Forums

This spring, the OERI Friday Forums will be held from 10:30 am – 11:30 am on the 1^st and 3^rd Fridays of all months but February. The first Friday Forum of 2023 will be on February 3 and the second will be on February 24 due to the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend.
The ASCCC OERI will provide automated captioning for all webinars. If you would like to request live human closed-captioning for any of our offerings, please contact us by e-mail at least 10 business days in advance.
OERI Friday Forums are intended for a diverse audience. Please share with your colleagues. We hope you will all join us!

Friday, February 3, 10:30 am - 11:30 am

ZTC, IMTF, XB12 – An Update

Is there any new information about the Zero Textbook Cost Program? What happened at the first Instructional Materials Task Force meeting? What does an analysis of the summer 2022 XB12 (Instructional-Material-Cost section-level data element) data tell us? And how does it all fit together? Join this webinar for an overview of what we know, what we don’t know, and what we expect may happen in the future.

Friday, February 24, 10:30 am - 11:30 am

You’ve Got $20,000 – Now What?

All 115 degree-granting accredited California Community Colleges have received $20,000 to develop a plan to participate in the Zero Textbook Cost Program. Now what? In this panel presentation, local OER advocates will share what they have done – and what they plan to do. Join us for inspiration and ideas.

Discipline Communications – Don’t Miss Out

The OERI – and ASCCC – use discipline list-servs to share information specific to a given discipline. These one-way disciplines will never overwhelm your inbox and being on your discipline’s list ensures you don’t miss out on any discipline-specific opportunities or events. Sign up for an ASCCC list-serv – or list-servs – today.

February 2023 OERI Discipline Lead Events

The OERI Discipline Leads regularly host conversations and webinars to share resources, identify needs, and build community. These events are intended for discipline faculty and those who have an interest in the discipline as supporters or advocates. A “conversation” is an informal discussion of a specific topic and will not be recorded. Webinars will be recorded and archived. The ASCCC OERI will provide automated captioning for all webinars. If you would like to request live human closed-captioning for any of our offerings, please contact us by e-mail at least 10 business days in advance.

Wednesday, February 1, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Available Geology Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creating an OER for Geology of California (C-ID GEOL 200)
In this conversation, we will review the OERI’s curated geology OER collection which includes fantastic resources for teaching both physical and historical geology lecture and lab courses. In addition, the opportunity for a cross-district collaboration to apply for funding to create a "Geology of California" OER will be discussed.
Register for Available Geology Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creating an OER for Geology of California (C-ID GEOL 200)

Wednesday, February 1, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Ethnic Studies and Open Educational Resources (OER): Identifying Resources and Opportunities
This conversation is designed for ethnic studies faculty who are currently using OER or would like to use OER in their courses. There is a range of new open access content being published that addresses theories and concepts in ethnic studies, but there is a persistent lack of openly-licensed content created by experts in the field. Ethnic studies faculty are who are interested in learning more about the upcoming funding available through the OERI Request for Proposals (RFP) V are encouraged to attend.
Register for Ethnic Studies and Open Educational Resources (OER): Identifying Resources and Opportunities

Thursday, February 2, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Journalism and Open Educational Resources (OER): Available Resources and Opportunities
In this conversation, available OER for journalism will be reviewed and the discipline’s OER needs will be discussed. Faculty who are interested in responding to the OERI’s current Request for Proposals are encouraged to attend to share project ideas and identify collaborators.
Register for Journalism and Open Educational Resources (OER): Available Resources and Opportunities

Friday, February 10, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Hospitality Management Open Educational Resources (OER) (Discipline Lead Conversation)
In this conversation, available OER for hospitality management will be reviewed and responding to the OERI’s current Request for Proposals to modify Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC (Westcott and Anderson) (CC BY 4.0) to be consistent with Introduction to Hospitality Management (C-ID HOSP 100) will be discussed.
Register for Hospitality Management Open Educational Resources (OER) (Discipline Lead Conversation)

Friday, February 24, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

What Do We Tell Students about ChatGPT? Finding and Building English Open Educational Resources (OER) about Artificial Intelligence (AI) Writing Assistance
Students need guidance about the uses and perils of AI text generators like ChatGPT that can auto-produce plausible academic writing. What OER materials are already available on the subject? Can writing teachers work together to create more materials that are openly licensed so they can be adapted as the software evolves? Can collaborating on such OER facilitate essential discussions of the place of AI tools in the teaching of writing? Join us for a discussion of how OER can help us form our responses to this new, rapidly evolving technology.
Register for What Do We Tell Students about ChatGPT? Finding and Building English Open Educational Resources (OER) about Artificial Intelligence (AI) Writing Assistance