{"id":8127,"date":"2024-08-12T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everylearnereverywhere.org\/?p=8127"},"modified":"2024-08-13T11:20:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T16:20:40","slug":"what-is-needed-in-oer-policy-funding-research-and-practitioner-led-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everylearnereverywhere.org\/es\/blog\/what-is-needed-in-oer-policy-funding-research-and-practitioner-led-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Needed in OER Policy? Funding, Research, and Practitioner-Led Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most educators are aware that OER (open education resources) can help address several challenges in higher education, such as affordability and completion rates. OER is heavily influenced by the policy decisions of state legislators and state education agencies, so it\u2019s important for institutions and faculty to engage with them.<\/p>\n

State policymakers\u2019 awareness about and existing support for OER varies from state to state. This can make it complicated to scale open education, says Dr. Liliana Diaz, a senior policy analyst at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have states with very different contexts,\u201d she said. \u201cIn some states, there are already robust state supports to help further open education. In states where OER is still developing, the extent and type of policymaker engagement should be appropriate to the specific context and state needs, but often we see that resources (both financial and human) are a key need.”<\/p>\n

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How can educators get involved in OER policy?<\/h2>\n

Diaz says there is a lot of opportunity to advance OER by leading conversations with policymakers: \u201cThat’s when the magic happens, because policy has been informed by those who are really invested in making sure it’s successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faculty and administrators are also successful when they highlight for policymakers the ways in which OER and open education can be a tool to meet state goals and institutional objectives. In Diaz\u2019s experience, practitioner-driven efforts that coalesce into statewide initiatives create the strongest OER policies.<\/p>\n

She points to Colorado, where the state\u2019s open education community came together to identify their needs and decide how they wanted to communicate those needs to state leaders. By working with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the open education community was able to influence the creation of policies, legislation, and appropriations.<\/p>\n

WICHE developed the OERwest Network to facilitate connections and build a network of practitioners and champions across institutions, systems, and state lines to engage in professional development, shared learning and resources, and foster cooperation. One benefit is learning how peers have been effective with policymakers in states where governance styles vary.<\/p>\n

WICHE works with the other multi-state compacts like the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the New England Board of Higher Education, and the Southern Regional Education Board to elevate best practices and on mutually beneficial projects under a collaboration named the National Consortium for Open Educational Resources<\/a>. That enables them to explore how OER policies are written in legislation and to share best examples of policies that support OER.<\/p>\n

WICHE also hosts webinars about using and promoting open educational resources, several of which are archived on their OER resource page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community just needs the financial support to be able to continue and expand the work that’s already happening,\u201d says Diaz, \u201cbecause there is a lot of open education work being done by people who believe in the benefits of OER.\u201d<\/p>\n