Anatomy Laboratory Supervisor Parker Holman (second from left) led a team that recently adapted a textbook to open format for Brock nursing students. Pictured in the lab are Peer Mentors in the anatomy courses implementing the open resource, including fourth-year Kinesiology student Jennifer McGraw (left), third-year Concurrent Teacher Education student Braeden Powell, third-year Biomedical Science student Treasure Amos and fourth-year Concurrent Education/Physical Education student Jillian LaFraugh.When it comes to making learning more affordable, accessible and customizable, Brock University has a lot to celebrate this Open Education Week.
Now in its third year, Brock’s Open Educational Resources Grant Program has helped nearly 4,500 students save a cumulative total of $566,000 on course materials since it was created in 2023.
Since then, 20 faculty members across all of Brock’s teaching Faculties have used the grant, which helps offset the cost of replacing commercial textbooks with free open learning materials or with the adaptation of existing open educational resources (OER).
“It’s part of our ongoing work to make our learning environments as student-centred and supportive as possible, and it’s been heartening to see the uptake across the University community,” said Brock’s Vice-Provost of Teaching and Learning Rajiv Jhangiani. “Advancing institutional supports for open educational resources is certainly aligned with our Academic Plan, but it’s also addressing a real need for our students who are struggling with affordability.”
Assistant Professor of Critical Criminology Samantha McAleese is passionate about minimizing financial burdens for her students. Thanks to the OER Adoption Grant she received at the end of last year, students could access their required introductory criminology textbook for free this term.
The open virtual resource, with the option to obtain a printed copy for a small fee, has already saved 160 of her students a cumulative $11,000.
“There’s a huge benefit of being able to say to students that this course isn’t going to cost you anything else above what you’re already paying to be here,” she said. “I can also ensure that the reading they’re doing outside of the lecture is very targeted and associated with the learning objectives of the course and that they are getting access to the best available educational resources.”
Parker Holman, Anatomy Laboratory Supervisor in the Department of Kinesiology and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology, is using the Adaption Grant to provide a no-cost alternative to a first- and second-year anatomy course textbook for Nursing students.
Building on the work of fellow Laboratory Supervisor Martin Dragan, who previously translated an existing systems anatomy textbook to open access format, Holman worked with a team at Brock to tailor core course materials to better complement hands-on lab activities exploring micro and macroscopic anatomy systems. The adaption has already saved 570 students a total of $102,600.
“It’s so much cheaper, it’s just as good and the content is updated right when things change,” he said. “Students use tablets and devices all the time in labs, so it’s also more functional for them, and the barrier is lower for providing additional learning resources, that are now just a click away.”
The grant also supported the hiring of a research student to support in the development of those resources.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our graduate students to learn curriculum design and pedagogy and design their own textbook,” Holman said.
With the financial support of the Brock University Students’ Union, Brock also plans to add a third stream to the grant program to support the creation of these resources from scratch as part of its ongoing commitment to continue supporting the creation, adaptation and adoption of OER.
“It’s an opportunity to take a different approach with teaching and learning where you’re able to engage students as co-creators of the learning experience in a way that really revolutionizes what education can look like,” Jhangiani said.
As part of Open Education Week, which runs until Friday, March 7, Brock is hosting several events highlighting open education successes on campus and advancing opportunities to incorporate open materials and pedagogy. The first, Getting Started with Open Pedagogy workshop, runs on Tuesday, March 4 and is followed by OER 101: An Introduction for Instructors workshop on Thursday, March 6. Open education champions at Brock will be also highlighted during the Celebration of OER Grant recipients event on Monday, March 17.
All events are free and open to attend and are facilitated by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation and Brock Library.
