2021 Open Education Symposium
The University of Alberta Centre for Teaching and Learning will be celebrating Open Education Week (March 1 - 5, 2021) by hosting our first Open Education Symposium.
Open education flourishes with community. While the symposium sessions are oriented to post secondary instructors, we invite everyone from the education community to participate. We anticipate seeing you (instructors, students, librarians, educational developers, instructional designers and more) there!
Summarized Links and Notes - please feel welcome to comment and add!
Welcoming Dr. Constance Blomgren as Keynote Speaker
Dr. Constance Blomgren is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Athabasca University. The Form and Function Callysto project is her fourth OER project (the Multiply K- 12 OER podcasts and videos; the Annora Brown Art, Life, and Legacy project; and OER For A Better World) which are represented on the BOLT website. She teaches and researches about openness in education and is a Director for Open Education Global.
A synchronous keynote session will be provided live on March 1, 1:00pm MT (listed below), followed by an interactive session.
Asynchronous Version of Keynote (YouTube)
Dr. Blomgren has kindly pre-recorded her keynote presentation for others to view asynchronously and for use by other institutions to facilitate asynchronous engagement with faculty and students about Open Education. For a consultation or collaboration on generating asynchronous engagement in open education, please feel welcome to contact ctl@ualberta.ca.
Schedule of Events
Monday, March 1
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Local to Global: Values of Open Education
Dr. Constance Blomgren, Associate Professor, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Athabasca University
Co-Facilitators:
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- Dr. Cosette Lemelin, Assistant Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Alberta
- Krysta McNutt, Open Education Lead, Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Alberta
From local examples to the global, this presentation and dialogue will consider how we as open educators move forth as we navigate the pandemic. By pausing to examine our "open values" we pose ourselves for strengthening the possibilities and benefits of openness in education as part of contributing to our near future.
Dr. Blomgren’s keynote presentation will be followed by an interactive session to explore shared experiences, perspectives, and inquiries surrounding open education, local to global.
Dr. Constance Blomgren, Associate Professor, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Athabasca University
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
How to Get Your Students Involved in Open Education!
David Draper, University of Alberta Students’ Union Vice-President Academic
This session will talk about the history of student involvement in open ed at the University of Alberta, and where that involvement is going to be channelled in the near future. We will also discuss how to inspire students to engage with the concept of Open Education, both in the classroom and as a broader philosophy. If you're interested in engaging your students directly in your classroom, or inspiring the next generation of student advocates, this is the session for you!
Tuesday, March 2
10:00 am - 10:50 am
OpenEd Lightning Talks #1
Join us for a quick and informative Lightning Talk session! Our speakers will present at lightning-fast-speed (5-7 minutes) with brief time for questions. This is a great opportunity to hear about a variety of open educators’ work, because open education goes beyond resources, beyond our classrooms; open education is local to global.
David Hay, Teacher, Elk Island Public Schools; Callysto Ambassador, Cybera
11:00 am - 11:50 am
5 Lessons from OER Policy
Jessica Norman, OER Librarian, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
What does OER look like through an institutional lens as opposed to an individual lens? How does an institution support quality OER projects as faculty activity increases? As OER becomes more mainstream, the question of how to build a mature, sustainable program becomes significant. In this presentation, I identify core elements of a sustainable institutional program, and share my experience implementing those elements within my institution’s existing infrastructure.
Jessica Norman, OER Librarian, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Open Pedagogy, Collaboration, and Community
Michael Dabrowski, Academic Coordinator, Spanish, Athabasca University
Engaging students in their learning experience has always been a challenge, made even more acute in the current lockdown and isolation. Open pedagogical practices and activities require some element of self-reflection, comparison, and a deeper engagement with the course content making them ideal for shifting the dynamic towards an engaged classroom. This presentation will share activities and OERs developed by students as part of their open learning.
Michael Dabrowski, Academic Coordinator, Spanish, Athabasca University
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Copyright and OER
Amanda Wakaruk, Copyright Librarian, University of Alberta
This webinar will (briefly) introduce the purpose and structure of Canada’s copyright regime with a focus on its relevance for open education practitioners. The relationship between creators and users of copyright-protected material will be explored, as well as the nature and use of open licensing. An introduction to the Creative Commons (CC) licences will round out the session. Do you know which CC licences are OER-compatible?
Amanda Wakaruk, Copyright Librarian, University of Alberta
Wednesday, March 3
11:00 am - 11:50 am
Pressbooks: Your Springboard to Interactive Learning
Speakers:
- Debbie Feisst, Education and Arts Librarian, University of Alberta Library
- Kim Frail, Education and Arts Librarian, University of Alberta Library
- Denis Lacroix, Librarian, Rutherford and Bibliothèque Saint-Jean, University of Alberta Library
- Lauren Stieglitz, Science Librarian, University of Alberta Library
University of Alberta Library staff have created open online learning objects with the Pressbooks platform to deliver its course-integrated library sessions. Pressbooks is a platform used within the UAlberta Libraries open education publishing program, which helps support the values of openness and sustainability in scholarly communication. This session will focus on several library Pressbooks used by Education and Bibliothèque Saint-Jean librarians and their practical applications as OERs. The various OERs shared in this session can be found here: https://openeducationalberta.ca/catalog/
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm
Food f-OER Thought
Jessica Norman, Librarian, Southern Alberta Institute for Technology
Whew.... there's lots to take in during Open Education Week. Time to take a break and reflect on all you've heard so far. Grab your lunch and join us for a conversation - what's going on with OER at your institution? Heard something this week that you might try locally? Want to share your latest success or challenge? I can’t wait to hear about it!
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
OpenEd Lightning Talks #2
Join us for a quick and informative Lightning Talk session! Our speakers will present at lightning-fast-speed (5-7 minutes) with brief time for questions. This is a great opportunity to hear about a variety of open educators’ work, because open education goes beyond resources, beyond our classrooms; open education is local to global.
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Wikipedia in the Classroom
Sarah Severson, Digital Initiatives Projects Librarian, University of Alberta Library
Often Wikipedia in the classroom is framed as something to be avoided or to be "consumed at your peril". In this workshop I will talk about how we can flip this, and think about Wikipedia as an open educational resource and how we can use it in open pedagogical practices. Instead of seeing Wikipedia as something we passively consume, I will talk about how Wikipedia can be an open educational resource that students can positively contribute to as active engaged digital citizens, and gain a lot from the teaching & learning experience as a result.
Sarah Severson, Digital Initiatives Projects Librarian, University of Alberta Library
Thursday, March 4
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Panel: Considerations in Creative Commons, Copyright, and OER
Facilitator:
- Janice Kung (Health Sciences Librarian, University of Alberta)
Panelists:
- Michael McNally, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
- Meera Nair, Copyright Officer, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
- Amanda Wakaruk, Copyright Librarian, University of Alberta
This panel will explore the origins of Creative Commons, citations and attribution and the decision making spectrum of reusing existing material in the creation of Open Educational Resources. Participants who are new to Creative Commons licensing may wish to view the Opening Up Copyright’s module on Open Licensing and Creative Commons.
Panel: Considerations in Creative Commons, Copyright, and OER
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm
Open-Inspired Midday Yoga
Anita Parker, Educational Developer, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Our current at-home working conditions have us sitting more and moving less. This prolonged time in a seated position negatively impacts musculoskeletal and cardiovascular body systems, as well as our emotional wellbeing. Fortunately, small amounts of low-intensity activity can make a big difference. Join Anita Parker (educational developer by day, yoga teacher by evening and weekend) for a yoga-inspired midday session. We’ll target muscles of the hips, core, and back with a lengthening and strengthening sequence you can do anywhere, anytime. No experience required.
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
OpenEd Lightning Talks #3
Join us for a quick and informative Lightning Talk session! Our speakers will present at lightning-fast-speed (5-7 minutes) with brief time for questions. This is a great opportunity to hear about a variety of open educators’ work, because open education goes beyond resources, beyond our classrooms; open education is local to global.
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Preparing Elementary Teachers to Curate, Adapt and Use OERs in Mathematics Education
Steven Khan, Assistant Professor, Brock University
Curating and Remixing Open Education Resources in Mathematics Teacher Education. I discuss my gradual scaling up of the use of Open Education and growth in Open Education Practices in K-9 mathematics teacher education courses in Alberta and more recently in Ontario. I offer the metaphor of curating as an important frame for the necessary skill set for instructors and teachers in working with OER. I present examples of student remixes and novel creations as well as challenges. Finally I draw out some implications for student assessment and course design within a fecund space of OER abundance.
Steven Khan, Assistant Professor, Brock University
Cross-Promoted Open Ed Week Sessions
March 1 - 4, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Education Programs - Research and Showcase of Open Education
Athabasca University
Registration required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtc--vqzItH9HlKNcsfPLA2v5PbQ-AtajO
The "Research and Showcase of Open Education" is an overview of some of our open practices within our faculty and MEd/Ed Doc students. The purpose is to highlight Open education, research, and projects by some of our faculty and students. Please join us for this sharing of open education as part of Open Education Global’s annual Open Education Week activities!
March 2, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Using Open Educational Practices to Enhance Student Learning and Engagement
University of Calgary
Session facilitated by: Christie Hurrell, Verena Roberts, Michele Jacobsen & Nicole Neutzling, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
Registration required: https://conted.
Open educational practices such as co-designing an open textbook can provide graduate students with enhanced choice and voice in their education. This workshop will draw on lessons learned from a case study in the Masters of Education program where students collaborated with their instructor to co-design and co-create an open educational resource (OER).
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Develop an awareness of the importance of open learning readiness.
- Become familiar with a design model for open education that can be adapted and used across disciplines and levels.
- Be able to explain the connections between open education and authentic, experiential learning experiences.
- Become aware of some challenges that can arise when employing open educational practices, as well as strategies to address them.
- Be able to locate resources and expertise at UCalgary to support them in adopting open educational practices.
Open Education at The University of Alberta
The University of Alberta supports the exploration and use of open educational resources and practices to benefit teaching and learning, through increasing access and discoverability of learning resources, and contributing to student cost savings. Learn more
The Quad - The Core of Open Education? Generosity
CTL's open education lead Krysta McNutt sees the values that underpin open education pervading instructors' work at the U of A. Read more
Archived Events
Discovered at 2020 Open Education Conferences
Thinking About OERs Beyond Cost Savings with Dr. Brett McCollum, Mount Royal University
Contact Us
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
ctl@ualberta.ca