OER Incubator Process
The process map and corresponding steps provided below outline the OER Incubator Process at Fanshawe. This process is focused on building awareness around the use and creation of OER, as well as building relationships between faculty and the library staff.
CC BY 4.0. International license.
| STEP 1 | To begin the process at Fanshawe, faculty reach out to the Studio either by completing the request form, or by emailing oer@fanshawec.ca. |
| STEP 2 | The project manager will meet with the faculty member to outline the process and obtain more information about the project. Sometimes at this stage, brainstorming of new ideas may take place. Faculty are encouraged to take the OER Prep Course to learn more about OER and open licensing, as well as how to find open resources. The project manager reaches out to other colleges to see if faculty there are using OER for similar subjects. |
| STEP 3 | The faculty member is encouraged to either share their course outlines with their course level learning outcomes, or they are asked to fill out the course map template which acts as the repository for the open resources environmental scan. They are partnered with a librarian or library staff member who can assist them in their environmental scan. New environmental scan requests are shared with the library through Microsoft Teams, and staff and librarians "sign-up" for projects that they are interested in. They work with the faculty to complete the research. Faculty can access the course map document at any time and add in comments, or gaps they may have. |
| STEP 4 | After the completion of the environmental scan, faculty can decide to adopt an existing OER or work with the Studio to create something new. If faculty are adopting - they will follow the Adoption Guide, so that the Studio can track their adoption, and savings to students. |
Lessons Learned
This process has now been undertaken by the studio several times, and we have learned a great deal about what works and what does not.
- Be Flexible: there is no one-size fits all model – some faculty want to engage in the process and do much of the research themselves, and take the OER prep course, while others do not. Some faculty would prefer for the librarians and library staff to complete the environmental scan for them, and provide guidance on open licensing while they review the resources found. We need to be flexible and meet them where they are at.
- Be Adaptable: faculty seem to prefer to contact the studio by email and many want to have a call to brainstorm and hash out ideas they have. The request form has become redundant as many faculty are unsure about what they want and/or need.
