Carleigh Charlton (front row, centre), Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) Vice-President, University Affairs and fifth-year Political Science student, was joined by senior administration and fellow BUSU executives on Wednesday, Sept. 18 for the announcement of her Open Education Award.Carleigh Charlton’s work to advance Brock University’s open educational practices has been recognized with a global award.
The fifth-year Political Science student and Vice-President of University Affairs with the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) received the 2024 Open Education Award for Excellence in the People In Open: Student Category. The award was announced at a virtual celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
In its official announcement, the awarding body, Open Education Global, said “Carleigh’s leadership and advocacy for open education as a student-powered effort is a model for how open education can be advanced within a large institution.”
A founding member of Brock’s Open Education Working Group, Charlton supported the launch of Brock’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant program, which is now a model for other post-secondary institutions across Ontario.
Charlton said it was an “honour to even be nominated” — let alone win — the award and that she is grateful to see the OER program receive global recognition.
She attributes the advancements she has made to open education at Brock to a strong, collaborative effort with her BUSU colleagues and predecessor Andrea Lepage as well as Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning Rajiv Jhangiani and the broader Open Education Working group.
“This is only the beginning for the OER Grant program, and I’m so excited to see the projects that will come out of it and the students’ savings that will continue to grow for years to come,” she said.
