Using Targeted OERs to Develop Core Academic Skills in the Disciplines
Journal Title
Loading...
Issue Date
2016
Authors
Logsdon, Seana
Whitley-Grassi, Nathan
D’Adamo-Weinstein, Lisa
Mavrogiannis, Sophia
McCrea, Daniel
Sherman, Brett
Van Bergen, Mildred
Publisher
Keywords
SUNY , State University of New York , IITG , Innovative Instructional Technology Grants , Adult and Continuing Education , Student Learning Support
Abstract
Using Targeted OERs to Develop Core Academic Skills in the Disciplines is a project that serves the goals of both
Open SUNY and SUNY Excels, specifically the creation of open-source shareable learning resources, the
development of modularized content, and the design of innovative resources aimed at improving completion
rates of at-risk, nontraditional, and first-generation learners. The project team will use multiple assessment
methods to identify 1) “high-risk” courses in three popular disciplines (business, human services, and
mathematics) and 2) the core academic skills that students need to cultivate to be successful in those courses. A
team of academic support and educational technology professionals collaborated to design a collection of 9
digital learning objects or open educational resources (OERs) focused on core academic skills across the target
disciplines. Each of these interactive learning objects will include a pre-assessment, a brief interactive video
tutorial on a core academic skill and a learning activity and post-assessment. The team collaborate with faculty
to integrate the project’s OERs into courses, both to increase success rates and to demonstrate how better to
support students in preparing for the challenges of work in their disciplines. We will share lessons learned in the
development process so the project can then be scaled up at SUNY Empire State, across Open SUNY, and at
other system campuses.
Description
This was an ambitious project and while we successfully completed development of OER videos, it required
significantly more resources and time than originally anticipated. This type of OER development, while
worthwhile, required extensive collaboration between content experts and educational technologists. That being
said, the experience of this project expanded and enhanced skills sets of a team of people and therefore, we are
well-positioned to replicate this project in other content areas.