“Many Minds Make Strong Research” was the name of the Open Ed 2021 session I watched tonight. This twenty-minute recorded session was presented by Kathy Essmiller, an assistant professor and coordinator of OER at Oklahoma State University; Jamie Holmes, a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Tulsa Community College; Marla Lobley, a librarian at East Central University; and Caitlin Kelley, a graduate research associate at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. They began by defining open science using the UNESCO guidelines: “The idea behind Open Science is to allow scientific information, data and outputs to be more widely accessible (Open Access) and more reliably harnessed (Open Data) with the active engagement of all the stakeholders (Open to Society).” Their goal was to develop a tool to measure open science. The group asked for input in 2020 from the Open Ed audience. They wanted to support and promote the value of Open Research through diverse viewpoints, project recognition and use by stakeholders, valuing the process more than the product, and aligning with open practices. The team created a website and infographics for their Open Lifelong Learning project. They involved stakeholders. The group presented their work and incorporated feedback. The Open Lifelong Learning project has a variety of perspectives from their advisory board. The team used literature reviews, for example. They mentioned using Trello to organize meetings, along with other tools for interaction. Though they did say that some tools didn’t work as expected. Kelly spoke about how the project helped them learn. Kelly did mention the importance of organizing data and embracing change by being flexible. The group invited the audience to “stay tuned” for future updates. They were funded by the IMLS and acknowledged the funding. I found myself thinking about how the group will continue to develop this project and the infographics they have created.
