Open Education Events

The Open Educational Resource (OER) Incubator is a five-week workshop series that provides a collaborative space for interested participants to learn the basics of OER and open licensing, explore best practices for curating open materials, and begin creating an open resource.

Who should participate?

The Incubator is open to anyone in an instructional or facilitation role (e.g., TA, instructor, advisor) in the Ontario Tech community. Regardless of your teaching area, the Incubator will provide guidance on curating and creating OER.

Where and when will the Incubator take place?

The incubator will run online via Google Meet every Thursday for five weeks beginning on Thursday March 13. Participants will receive calendar holds for the workshop series upon registration.

What topics will be covered in the Incubator?

Each week of the Incubator will explore a different topic related to OERs.

Session 1: Create an OER Vision
Thursday, March 13, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

This session will give participants an overview of the 5 week long incubator and introduce key concepts and benefits of Open Educational Resources (OER), explore challenges encountered, and guide attendees in creating a vision for incorporating OER into future educational contexts.

By the end of the session, participants will have a clear understanding of how OER can transform education and begin to create a vision with practical strategies for developing and using OER in their own teaching.

Session 2: Finding and Evaluating OER
Thursday, March 20, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

This session aims to equip participants with the skills needed to effectively search for, evaluate, and select high-quality OER.

By the end of the session, attendees will be proficient in using various OER repositories and evaluating resources based on quality, relevance, and alignment with their teaching goals.

Session 3: Licensing and Attribution
Thursday, March 27, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

This workshop aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of how licensing works in the context of OER, the importance of attribution, and how to properly apply Creative Commons (CC) licenses to materials.

By the end of the session, attendees will be confident in navigating CC licensing, applying the correct attribution practices, and understanding the legal and ethical implications of using and sharing OER.

Session 4: Inclusive Design
Thursday, April 3, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

This workshop aims to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to design OER that are accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all learners.

Attendees will learn how to apply inclusive design principles to OER development and how to ensure that these resources meet the needs of diverse learners, including those with disabilities, different learning styles, and varying levels of technological access.

Session 5: Student Co-Creation and Showcase
Thursday, April 10, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

This session introduces participants to the Open Education Lab and explores student co-creation in OER, including how to involve students in the creation of open content.

Participants will learn about the benefits of co-creation, including fostering deeper learning, enhancing engagement, and developing critical skills in students. Additionally, the session will include a "show and tell" segment where attendees will get to share the OER vision they’ve been developing in the past few weeks, showcasing their ideas for collaborative, open content creation in their own contexts.