New grant will improve OER awareness and engagement

By Gauri Raje News Editor

UTSA recently received a $10,000 grant to “promote faculty adoption and student awareness” of open educational resources, also known as OERs.

OERs are openly licensed educational resources, including textbooks, that are available for free in the public domain.

The university’s efforts to promote OERs began in 2016 with the Adopt A Free Textbook initiative. Since then, UTSA Libraries has been working with faculty to implement OERs into their courses as a way to defer the cost of textbooks.

“It is important to recognize that open educational resources are critical in our pursuit as a multicultural institution in promoting equity in our education,” Zachary Nepote, Student Government Association presidential candidate, said.

This new grant, awarded by the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3)

Collaborative, will further help the university identify any gaps in its efforts to promote OERs.

“The goal is to basically assess ourselves [with regards to] OER,” DeeAnn Ivie, UTSA’s open education coordinator, said. “We’re trying to see how [we] can do better as far as awareness and engagement with OER amongst faculty and students. But also, how can we leverage OER in more equitable and inclusive ways at UTSA.”

Ivie applied for the grant along with two other campus partners after receiving an email from UT System Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Rebecca Karoff. The grant was collectively awarded to UTSA Libraries, Academic Innovation and Student Success.

The assessment will be conducted based on a Creative Commons Licensed rubric created by DOERS3. This means that the rubric can be customized.

“We have the permission to adjust [the rubric] for our institution,” Ivie said. “We can choose and adjust things based on what we feel like works best for UTSA.”

At UTSA, the focus will be on “student and practitioner aspects.” This includes looking at OERs in the learning environment, the impact of OERs on underrepresented groups of students and the general awareness of OERs amongst students to ensure they are aware of classes that specifically use OERs.

“We’re choosing to tailor it and focus on those particular groups because that’s where we feel like we need more help,” Ivie said.

Currently, Academic Innovation, UTSA Libraries and Student Success are working individually to conduct a gap analysis which is due in April.

Utsa

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every year, UTSA initiates a Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign which aims to empower survivors while promoting awareness and support of the survivor community. This year’s theme is “Drawing Connections: Prevention Demands Equity.” Throughout the month, the university will hold various events that provide opportunities for Roadrunners to learn more about UTSA’s culture of responsibility and the available support services. The kickoff will take place at the “Start by Believing” table at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 5 on the Rowdy Lawn, where students can take a pledge to “Start by Believing” when a survivor of sexual violence discloses to you.

Texas

Last week, a federal judge in Texas ruled that officials of Llano County must return more than a dozen books that were removed from public libraries — many because of their LGBTQ+ and racial content — within 24 hours. CNN reports that the order comes after seven residents sued county officials in April 2022, claiming their First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when the books were removed or restricted.

U.S.

At least 32 people have been confirmed dead after severe thunderstorms and tornadoes tore through Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Jersey and Arkansas last week. Currently, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center warns of an “enhanced risk” of another outbreak Tuesday of this week, which may bring more tornadoes as well as hail and powerful wind gusts.

A federal judge in Texas struck down an Affordable Care Act policy last Thursday that required private health insurers to fully cover preventative care services at no cost to patients. The ruling affects dozens of potentially lifesaving preventative services such as drugs that prevent H.I.V. transmission and screenings for adolescent depression, as reported by The New York Times. The ruling, which applies nationwide, went into effect immediately.

World

Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers announced on Sunday that they will be making surprise cuts to crude oil production totaling up to 1.15 million barrels per day starting in May of this year. The production cut is expected to support the price of oil and reduce the global oversupply of crude, which has been a major challenge for the oil industry in recent years. According to Politico, the production cuts could increase U.S. gas prices by roughly 26 cents per gallon.