Project management has been a challenge. That’s why the Open Ed 2021 session entitled “Open Pedagogy Project Management: A Roadmap for Inclusive, Collaborative, & Sustainable Projects” seemed like one I should watch! Presenters Christina Riehman-Murphy and Bryan McGeary from Penn State University explained their experiences with open pedagogy. McGeary talked about a Hispanic Linguistics student-authored textbook project they were involved with: this resource includes a study guide assignment and practice exercises to create a robust resource. Student editors helped improve the content and create an audio version of the resource! This is exactly what I would like to do with the courses I am working on! McGeary mentioned that assignments were graded on a credit/no credit basis and had opportunities to revise the work. Students were able to select whether to opt-in and which licenses to share their work with. One chapter mentioned was on accepts and prejudice! Student editors were hired, McGeary mentioned, as well as an art student. I hope we can do this!
Riehman-Murphy was embedded in a Premodern Worlds course. Students remixed, edited, and glossed an anthology. Students included images and other ways of enhancing their projects. Lessons learned included “signposting” more to help students approach the project gradually. Riehman-Murphy explained that despite the anxiety, many students thought the project was rewarding and had an impact. Riehman-Murphy said that writing for an authentic audience resonated with the class.
Based on their experiences, McGeary and Riehman-Murphy created an Open Pedagogy Project Roadman: oeproadmap.psu.edu. The road map was desired to be a practical reflection and documentation space for instructors. Riehman-Murphy explained that the roadmap is discipline agnostic, designed to be non-linear, and adaptable. The roadmap starts with instructors reflecting on the why first. How does your project center access, and center diversity, equity, and inclusion? Riehman-Murphy said this was an opportunity to highlight the values of open pedagogy and the 5Rs for Open Pedagogy from Jhangiani 2019. Once scoping your values, the roadmap focuses on resources. The roadmap includes considerations for technological support and helping students. McGeary spoke about learning objectives and assessments. They also noted talking to students about licenses and sharing their work. Sharing and Sustainability were the next part of the roadmap that McGeary spoke about. How will you communicate about your work? Planning for the long term was mentioned to determine actionable next steps. The Open Pedagogy Project Roadmap is CC BY-NC 4.0 and includes a downloadable resource. I immediately emailed Rich to share this resource. I am glad to learn about this project!
