Open Textbooks/Open Educational Resources: OpenOKState

In response to the nationally documented impact the high cost of commercial textbooks has on the personal lives and academic progress of university students, the Oklahoma State University Libraries created the OpenOKState open educational resources program. Open educational resources (OER) are research, teaching, and learning materials intentionally created and licensed to be freely accessed, shared, retained, and in many cases, modified at no additional cost to the end user.

OpenOKState Key Outcomes

Classroom use of OpenOKState grant supported OER has saved OSU students over $4,000,000.

The OpenOKState program has documented over 97 courses across eight colleges committed to using OER or library materials rather than requiring students to purchase commercial resources.

OSU was one of three institutions receiving a multi-year, $428,000 IMLS grant for development and implementation of OER.

The OSU Libraries support Open in several ways:

OpenOKState Fellowships honor faculty, instructors and students actively envisioning and implementing open scholarly practices which broaden access to meaningful research, teaching and learning opportunities. Do you want to know more? »
OSU Libraries supports membership in the Online Consortium of Oklahoma which, along with the OSRHE, offer a range of small stipends as well as library and instructional design support for faculty and instructors designing courses which use open and library resources rather than student purchased commercial textbooks. Do you want to know more? »
The OSU Library partners with faculty and instructors beginning to explore incorporation of OER and open resources into their research, teaching and learning praxis. Contact Kathy.Essmiller@okstate.edu to get started!

OKState OER Advisory Group

The OSU OER Advisory Group was formed as a partnership between OSU Libraries and campus stakeholders in response to a Spring 2019 OSU faculty council recommendation and subsequent call from the Provost. The faculty council recommendation included organization of an advocacy group, increased learning opportunities, and provision of incentives for the adoption and creation of OER. The faculty council recommended that inclusion of the modification and creation of OER be considered as scholarly work in RPT dossier. As seen above, former Provost Sandefur added his voice in support of this recommendation.

Since Spring 2019, the OSU OER Advisory Group set goals for the development and implementation of OER which have been included as a high impact strategy in the OSU Degree Completion Plan. Goals articulated as part of that strategy include development of short and long-term strategic plans, expanded advocacy, continued partnership with campus departments to provide professional development and opportunities for recognition related to OER, development of language for use in retention promotion and tenure describing metrics necessary for inclusion of OER as scholarly work in tenure dossiers, and implementation of course markings.

OSU OER Advisory Group Members

Leadership

Chair: Sasha Hanrahan

Co-Chair: Robin Holly

Coordinator, OpenOKState: Kathy Essmiller

Representatives

Financial Aid: Linda Millis

SALR: DJ McMaughan

Early Career TT Faculty: Ashley Burkett

Tenured Faculty: Aimee Parkison

Extension/Career Track Faculty: Joan York

Career Track Faculty: Megan Linsenmeyer, Sarah Hollingsworth

Adjunct Faculty: Robin Holly

Office of the Registrar: Rita Peaster

General Education Faculty: Reva Sias, Gregory Brennen

Student Organizations: Kennedy Essmiller

GPSGA:

SGA:

Page updated 3.25.25, Kathy Essmiller

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