SPARC Projects

Connect OER

Open Education

University of Alberta

Edmonton, AB, Canada
Official Website • @ualberta

Type: Public 4-Year, Research University

  SPARC Member  

OER Webpage
OER LibGuide

Overview

The University of Alberta is dedicated to the promise made by founding president Henry Marshall Tory that “… knowledge shall not be the concern of scholars alone. The uplifting of the whole people shall be its final goal.”

As a top 5 Canadian university and one of the top 100 in the world, home to more than 500 graduate programs, 200 undergraduate programs and 450 active student groups, and 4 campuses in Alberta, the University has prioritized efforts within the Library and Centre for Teaching and Learning to partner with faculty and students to adapt and adopt open educational resources to increase access, reduce costs, and support exploration of OER-enabled teaching practices.

From 2014-2017, the University of Alberta administered the Campus Alberta OER Initiative, a $2M provincial grant program funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education to increase awareness and use of OER throughout the province. The provincial community of practice (Alberta OER) is now coordinated from within the University of Alberta in collaboration with other institutions in Alberta.

The University of Alberta OER (Open Educational Resources) Awards began November 15, 2017, is continuing into the second year as a collaboration between the Provost Office, Centre for Teaching and Learning, and University Libraries to support the use of OER to benefit teaching and learning through increasing access and discoverability of learning resources and contributing to student cost savings.

In response to needs emerging from the campus community, in 2018, the Libraries' begain investigating a campus OER publishing program. This program is now active and provides access to Pressbooks and Omeka for OER creation.

Campus Details

Campus Entities Most Active in Efforts Advancing OER:

Library Departments Active in Efforts Advancing OER:

Academic Subjects With Greatest OER Traction:

Mechanisms to Support OER Included in the Following:

OER Staff Location:


OER Programs

University of Alberta OER Grants

University of Alberta OER Awards will support faculty in the use of open educational resources (OER) and practices in their course delivery. The awards will give faculty support and structure in the selection, integration, and use of open educational resources through collaboration with an open education project team. The program is supported by Centre for Teaching and Learning, UA Libraries, and the UA Provost’s Office. The program launched November 2017.

Program Type:

Duration: 11/2017 - 04/2019

Program Webpage: https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/grants/oer

Scope: OER (open course content)

Primary OER Strategy: OER Adoption

Secondary OER Strategies: OER Adaptation, OER Awareness, OER Curation, OER Pedagogy

Unit Housing the Program:

Program Partners:

Source of Program Funding:

Total Program Funding to Date: $ 75,000

Incentives Offered by the Program:

Conditions: Recipients are required to openly license and freely share resources created or adapted

OER Publishing Program

The University of Alberta Libraries provides no-fee publishing services for open textbooks and other open educational resources for affiliated faculty and staff. This service is available to all Alberta post-secondary institutions.

What we offer:

Duration: 02/2019 - Present

Program Webpage: https://openeducationalberta.ca/

Scope: OER (open course content)

Primary OER Strategy: OER Publication

Secondary OER Strategies: OER Adaptation, OER Adoption, OER Awareness, OER Curation

Unit Housing the Program:

Source of Program Funding:

Incentives Offered by the Program:

Links:
MOU for Participants
Other Resource

OER Resources

Alberta OER Program Evaluation

This report was written at the conclusion of the Campus Alberta Open Educational Resources Initiative, a $2M granting program funded by the MInistry of Advanced Education and administered by the University of Alberta. Sections of the report are also regularly updated as resources on the Alberta OER page for use by individual institutions for advocacy purposes.

Resource Permissions:
CC BY

Resource Citation:
McNutt, K., Brailey, M. (2017), Campus Alberta OER Program Evaluation, 2014-2017. Edmonton, AB. Prepared for the Government of Alberta. Retrieved from: http://www.albertaoer.com

OER Starter Kit

This toolkit will provide you with some considerations before you start using OER in your classroom, in addition to strategies, practices, and web resources.

Resource Permissions:
CC BY

Resource Citation:
Christiansen, E., McNutt, K. (2016), OER Starter Kit. Retrieved from: www.albertaoer.com

OER Champion's Toolkit

This toolkit provides you with templates, strategies, and considerations to actively raise awareness and use of OER at your institution. The resource builds on best practices in organizational change, communications, and stakeholder engagement.

Resource Permissions:
CC BY

Resource Citation:
McNutt, K. (2016), OER Champion’s Toolkit. Retrieved from: www.albertaoer.com


Point of Contact

Michelle Brailey
Digitial Initiatives Projects Librarian