Today I went to a virtual mental health training workshop that was very good! It lasted five hours and had several examples. Tonight, we watched the Open Ed 2021 session entitled “Open Education, Race, and Equity: Research-Based Communications Guidance” presented by Allie Chamberlin and Cerrone Lundy. Chamberlin is the vice president at GMMB, a communications firm that has been working in the open education space. Lundy is from Zebra Strategies. Chamberlin quoted the Hewlett Foundation 20220: “A focus on equity [is a] key ingredient to enable and sustain open education.” They highlighted the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice and the debate over critical race theory in 2021. Lundy explained that their research had several objectives including assessing how system racism and inequality have impacted educators. Their methodology included 22 75-minute in-depth interviews with K-12 and higher education administrators and educators and 8 75-minute focus groups with 3-4 educators and administrators. Their participants had a mix of administrators and demographics. Cos and convenience were key motivators in curriculum decisions. OER users loved OER. Non-OER users had trouble understanding OER even when provided with a definition. They also had questions about the quality of OER. Educators noted that some textbooks did not address their cultural diversity and interests. Lundy noted that there were some limitations on addressing race in the classroom, including time, set procedures and designated staff, and some educators felt uncomfortable addressing or “not their job.” Chamberlin contextualized the initial findings for OER communications. They will continue to focus on raising awareness of what OER are, emphasize that OER are free and benefit students, and better communicate that OER help keep materials fresh and ready to use. Chamberlin also mentioned that we should consider the audience and they will be working on guidance on how to approach OERs with certain groups of educators. This research is really intriguing as it seems to connect with the work others have done that emphasizes the need for raising awareness. I also find the combination of K-12 and higher education educators and administrators in focus groups a good way to learn more about barriers to implementation. However, I think that there are major differences in the goals and flexibility of use of OER in K-12 as compared to higher education. Nevertheless, the findings help inform how groups and individuals can communicate more effectively about OER. I have personally avoided talking about it within the institution yet talk freely about open and OER at open education-focused conferences and working sessions. My conversations, however, revolve around student co-creation and often don’t approach cultural inequities and opportunities for leveraging OER for discussions of equity.
