We watched the Open Ed 2021 “Open Education Leadership Project Showcase.” This was a lightning talk about ten minutes long. Hailey Babb, Open Education Project Manager at SPARC, spoke about the 2021 cohort of the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program. This was the fourth year of the program and the first year of it as a virtual program. The cohorts include librarians, instructional designers, and educators. Fellows are from across the country and Canada. The curriculum includes an intense course in the fall semester and a capstone project in the spring. There is a fee for the program, but there are also scholarships. Members of SPARC have lower tuition. Angela Chikowero, a research and engagement librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara library, began the talks. They all were asked to answer the three prompts:
- What is your greatest achievement throughout the program?
- What is one thing you learned about your own leadership style throughout the program?
- What is your best piece of leadership advice?
Chikowero spoke about completing their capstone project as their greatest achievement. They learned about being a transformational leader by getting buy-in from colleagues. Brad Ost, Head of Research Services and Liaison Librarian for Religion, Theology, and Philosophy at AUC, Robert W. Woodruff Library, explained getting over the fear and gaining confidence to encourage others. Ost shared: “get commitment not compliance” and spoke about getting people to “catch your vision and they want to do what you want to do.” Kristina de Voe, English & Communication LIbrarian from Temple University developed multi part resources and spoke about the power of active listening and making leadership opportunities by “daring to ask” and advised, “step back… from time to time to view the bigger picture… a small win is still a win.. and multiple small wins will add up to substantial meaningful impact over time.” Jim Paradiso, Instructional Designer at the University of Central Florida, spoke about achievements that will benefit the community and how the program affirmed “leading together” and the importance of a “collective voice.” Paradiso’s advice was “you are a leader and use your uniqueness […] to make an impact…” Sophie Rondeau, Assessment & E-Resources Program Analyst at VIVA, mentioned the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across North America and discuss topics related to open education during and after the program. Babb mentioned that in the spring they were opening the call for applications. I visited the website and noticed that, as expected for SPARC, their curriculum is shared openly!
