BC Open Textbook Summit 2017

Policy can play an important role in advancing the creation, adoption and sustainability of open educational resources. At both the government and institutional levels, policy can affect important factors such as how resources like funding and staff are allocated, what goals and priorities are set, and what kind of activities are encouraged. Policymakers themselves can also be important allies, using their influence to raise awareness, call for action, or clear barriers.

This workshop will explore the ways that open textbooks and open educational resources intersect with policy at the institutional, state/provincial, and national levels, and how members of the audience can get involved in developing, passing and implementing policies. It will be broken into three parts:

Part 1: Overview of government OER policy, including examples from the U.S. and Canada, and tips for advocacy.

Part 2: Overview of OER policy at the institutional level, including examples and a tool for building your own institutional policy.

Part 3: The room will then split up into small groups to each develop an OER policy idea, then share their plan back with the group.