Sara Stokes is the OER Lab Manager at Ontario Tech and along with Rebecca Maynard presented at Open Ed 2021 about “Co-Creating Opportunities for Openness.” Ontario Tech is one of the newest universities in Canada. Stokes spoke about the needs of students at Ontario Tech and their focus on STEM. The Open Education Lab was created to provide “custom OER” to lessen the financial burden for students. Maynard explained how OE Lab addressed the need to support students and barriers to OER. In June of 2020, they created OE Lab to support students and break down barriers. Maynard emphasized that “OER created with students, for students” is the approach used. Student employees are supported by a campus effort. The goals of the Open Education Lab are: OER creation, OER advocacy, experiential learning, and employment. Through the work of the lab, students build on their own interests and expertise. They listed several completed projects including course texts, custom websites, and interactive review questions. Stokes described creating scenarios to engage students. They encouraged using the CARE framework and considering support from the bookstore. The global OER network is a fantastic way to help students connect and build on the OER model. Stokes explained the importance of engagement with campus units, staff, and students. I didn’t know about Ontario Tech and now know a little more about their approach to encouraging instructors and staff to co-create in the open.
