USNH - IHE Accessibility in OER Implementation Guide
Overview
In this section, you and your team will engage in a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide your work to support Accessibility in OER. You may or may not answer all of these questions, but this is an offering.
May 11 - Section One: Landscape Analysis for Accessibility in OER in Local Context (Work on during May 11th implementation)
In this section, you and your team will engage in a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide your work to support Accessibility in OER. We exnourage to explore some of the questions from each category. You may or may not answer all of these questions, but this is an offering. We ask that you complete Parts One, Two and Six.
Part One: Initial Thoughts
Gather together from across the University System of New Hampshire to learn more about accessible OERs, meet fellow colleagues, and explore ways we can share expertise and learn together.
Part Two: Introductory probing questions:
What does accessibility look like in our organization? How do we measure accessibility?
Each institution has its own approach to both questions, though we are all dedicated to accessibility.
What does OER look like in our organization? How do we measure access to OER?
Each institution is engaged in OERs in different ways.
Part Six: Final Probing questions:
What is our current goal for Accessibility in OER and why is that our goal?
Group Conversation
We revisited the summary from last week’s conversation:
Our team had a lot crossover between creating OERs (a Good thing and helps students save money) and making sure they’re accessible at the outset to expand access and minimize issues BEFORE OERs are created and shared
Who have we not yet included while thinking about this work?
What barriers remain when considering this work?
What would genuine change look like for our organization for this work?
Section Two: Team Focus (Finish before May 25th to share during Implementation Session Two)
Identifying and Describing a Problem of Practice
The following questions should help your team ensure that you are focusing your collaboration.
What is your Team’s specific goal for this series?
Explore Cross-Systems Collaboration via an Online Community of Practice
This series has provided colleagues from across the University System of New Hampshire with an opportunity to identify a shared experience related to OERs and accessibility. This is the first time many of us have met one another, and it has been a rewarding process. Toward that end, we are considering forming an online community of practice that includes representation from across all university system institutions (UNH, KSC, PSU).
Please create a Focus Question that explains your goal and provides specific topics that you would like feedback on. This is what you will share in your breakout groups for feedback.
What would an online community of practice around the topic of accessible OERs look like for those who wanted to be included?
(Save for during May 25th's session.) What feedback did you receive from another team during the May 25th Implementation Session?
Establish champions, take the temperature of campuses, create a meaningful process, model success, survey, share results, iterate.
Section Three: Team Work Time and Next Steps (Complete by the end of Implementation Session Three)
Sharing and Next Steps
What was your redefined goal for this series?
Explore Cross-Systems Collaboration via an Online Community of Practice
This series has provided colleagues from across the University System of New Hampshire with an opportunity to identify a shared experience related to OERs and accessibility. This is the first time many of us have met one another, and it has been a rewarding process. Toward that end, we are considering forming an online community of practice that includes representation from across all university system institutions (UNH, KSC, PSU) where we can explore the following topics and collaborate on initiatives related to:
Information that would be good to include in a resource (that is both accessible and an OER) that provides broad, general guidelines and tips about creating OERs (including accessibility as a prominent consideration at the outset).
Ways to raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of thinking about accessibility in OERs before creation or adoption
What other partners might support this work and other topics related to OERs and accessibility emerge through collegial dialog?
Please create a Focus Question that explains your goal and provides specific topics that you would like feedback on. This is what you will share in your breakout groups for feedback.
What would an online community of practice around the topic of accessible OERs look like for those who wanted to be included?
Plan:
Explore Goal and Identify Key Steps:
Hold virtual meetings quarterly (begin in late summer)
Proposed structure: rotating facilitation, beginning with Julie for summer, then hand off to Scott for two meetings, then rotate?
What does your team want to celebrate?
New learning, new / stronger connections with colleagues, and an avenue for us to continue to create space to have dialog and explore accessibility and OERs
What did your team accomplish? If you have links to resources, please include them here. What are your team’s next steps?
We created a format outline for our community of practice:
Summer and Fall 2023 meetings (Julie offered to facilitate) to learn, resource share and brainstorm; identify and prioritize potential system-wide collaborations / projects
Summer meeting: consider sharing expertise and resources; develop purpose, goals, and possible project topics
Fall meeting: invite faculty leading OER at each institution to present share overview and challenges (15 minutes each)
Winter and Spring 2024 (new facilitator): Project development, implementation, evaluation
Summer and Fall 2023: Review project evaluation; learn, resource share and brainstorm; identify and prioritize potential system-wide collaborations / projects
Establish champions, take the temperature of campuses, create a meaningful process, model success, survey, share results, iterate