Description

Objectives of the Session
At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Access and explore the modules published on the QB@CC site
• Design interdisciplinary networks that can support the creation of OER

Full Description of the Session
The Quantitative Biology at Community Colleges (QB@CC) project has generated a collection of Open Educational Resources (OER) for use in introductory-level life sciences and mathematics courses. These OER are developed by interdisciplinary teams of biology and math faculty from community colleges and specifically target key quantitative skills in biology that are critical to student success in biology (AAAS, 2011). The interdisciplinary teams publish their modules through the QUBESHub platform as OER. Dissemination of these OER is supported by Faculty Mentoring Networks - professional development experiences in which the QB@CC network participants act as peer mentors, demonstrating how to use the OER effectively and encouraging new users to adapt the OER and publish their own versions.
We will present the QB@CC project as a potential model for OER development and discuss future collaborations with faculty. We know OER become most valuable to the community as they proceed through the life cycle of “Find-Adapt-Use-Share”, which aligns with the project goals of dissemination through “find and use”, and adds adapting and resharing with the Faculty Mentoring Networks (FMNs) when FMN participants publish their own adaptations of OERs. These final steps keep OER relevant and timely, as well as more flexible as adaptations for different educational settings are shared. OER are also an important resource in reducing barriers to access, especially as instructors prepare to teach in ways that can move smoothly between in-person and online delivery. This presentation will be beneficial to participants who are intermediate to advanced level OER users. The session will include 2-3 discussion prompts for participants to engage in discussions.

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