Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational materials that are free for anyone to use. We most often are referring to textbooks, but they can also be videos, tests, software, or even full courses. Crucially, they are not copyrighted like most publications but instead are released under a license (most often Creative Commons) that allows others […]
Open Education
New Journal Article on Sinclair Librarians and Affordable Learning
Back in 2017 I shared a conference presentation that I did on OER (Open Educational Resources, specifically textbooks). Since then, that work has continued and I’m excited to share a new publication today. It’s a peer-reviewed article in the journal Reference Services Review. They put out a call for submissions for a special issue focused […]
Confusing Expirations and “Secret” Public Domain Books: Quirks of US Copyright
Much has been written about the convoluted history of US copyright law. A constitutional clause originally intended to “promote the progress of science and useful arts” by providing limited protection has since been interpreted and extended in such a way that it once seemed like some works (most famously Mickey Mouse) might remain under copyright […]
Recent Presentation Roundup: OER and Pathways
Two initiatives in higher education that I’ve been greatly involved with lately are Open Educational Resources (OER) and pathways (which falls under the office of completion here at Sinclair). OER usually means free, online textbooks, although they can also be other types of content and are sometimes discussed as part of a larger “textbook affordability” […]
More Than Just MOOCs: The Major Types of Online Education
Online education is often talked about as a homogeneous force poised to either bring radically improved education to every corner of the globe or ruin learning and knowledge as we know it. But in reality there are many different types of online education across which generalizations can’t be made. A more nuanced understanding of these varieties, […]
What’s the Business Model of MOOCs Like Coursera?
The booming popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in 2012 has dramatically changed our ideas about the potential of online education. The New York Times called them “the revolution that has higher education gasping” and the Chronicle added that MOOCs question “the future of teaching” and even “the value of a degree.” What exactly […]