In recognition of Open Education Week, March 4 to 8, the Brock University community will have access to events and webinars exploring open educational resources (OER).

Celebrated annually across the globe, Open Education Week raises awareness and showcases the impact of open education on teaching and learning worldwide.

Among the week’s offerings is a free Brock event discussing OERs — teaching and learning materials released under an open licence that permits their use at no cost to students — on Thursday, March 7.

Sponsored by eCampus Ontario and co-organized by the James A. Gibson Library and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, Open Education: Focus on Open Education Resources will explore the landscape of OERs as a way of enhancing teaching and learning practices to improve student learning.  

Instructors and staff involved with instructional design are invited to attend from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Schmon Tower 103. A catered lunch will follow.

Keynote speakers include Jess Mitchell, Senior Manager, Research and Design at OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre and Lillian Hogendoorn, Digital Access and OER Lead for eCampusOntario. The event will also feature a panel of Brock professors who are developing OERs in their teaching.

Interested faculty and staff are asked to register at ExperienceBU as space is limited.

A list of free webinars and other Open Education Week events available to all members of the Brock community can also be accessed through ExperienceBU.

In addition to hosting Open Education Week events, Brock continues to move forward with OER development with the creation of the Senate Teaching and Learning Policy Committee’s OER Working Group. Part of this group’s work is the launch of a short anonymous survey now available online.

The results will be used to inform the working group mandate to make recommendations on the use, adoption and creation of OERs institutionally at Brock University.