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Open Educational Resources Summit

FLVC’s Open Educational Resources Summit discusses the high cost of student textbooks

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Florida Virtual Campus held its first Open Educational Resources Summit Feb. 7-8 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida. FLVC is a Complete Florida Plus Program, managed by the University of West Florida Division of Research and Strategic Innovation.

“We are deeply grateful to all our amazing speakers, staff, and support teams who helped make this event a hit for state and campus leaders,” said Dr. John Opper, executive director of Distance Learning and Student Services at FLVC. “We had approximately 200 attendees, some stating the summit was as good as any national summit they had attended.”

Attendees heard from Cable Green, director of Open Education at Creative Commons, and many other national and campus leaders who are involved in defining and driving OER strategies and initiatives. The summit’s discussion focused on the high cost of college textbooks and the resources available to students. Speakers identified ideas and options for how Florida can raise the level of awareness regarding textbook costs and bring OER options to the forefront of the conversation.

Studies have shown that the cost of college textbooks is creating a barrier to student success. According to the 2016 FLVC Student Textbook and Course Material Survey, almost 46 percent of college students report not registering for particular classes due to the high textbook cost, and 26 percent of students dropped a course when they found out the cost of the textbook.

Open educational resources are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media, and other digital assets useful for teaching, learning and research purposes. One state funded resource for storing and sharing OER is the Orange Grove, an online collection of textbooks and educational materials available to Florida students and faculty for free. Using this resource, students can find textbooks for a range of courses, from english composition to oceanography to precalculus.

If you were unable to attend the summit, a video archive of the presentations can be found on the FLVC YouTube page.

Registration is open for FLVC’s Open Educational Resources Summit

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Florida Virtual Campus will host Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit from Feb. 7-8 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida. FLVC is a Complete Florida Plus Program, managed by the University of West Florida Division of Research and Strategic Innovation. The summit was originally scheduled for Sept. 7-8, 2017 in Daytona Beach, but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma. Participants will hear from Cable Green, director of Open Education, as well as other national and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives.
“Not even a hurricane would prevent us from being able to provide valuable OER information to state and campus leaders,” said Dr. John Opper, executive director of Distant Learning and Student Services at FLVC. “Attendees will discuss the components of a sustainable OER program, elements of a successful faculty-driven OER program, the key concerns relating to the quality of open textbooks and how to address them, and the return on investment for students and institutions.”
Open educational resources are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning and research purposes. One state-funded resource for storing and sharing OER is the Orange Grove, an online collection of textbooks and educational materials available to Florida students for free. Using this resource, students can find textbooks for a range of courses, from English composition to oceanography to precalculus.
State and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategies and initiatives in higher education, including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators and other thought leaders are encouraged to attend this event. Registration is $100 per attendee. For more information regarding the summit or to register, visit flvc.org/oersummit.
About Florida Virtual Campus
The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC), a Complete Florida Plus program, is made up of several units which provide statewide innovative educational services for Florida’s K-adult students. Working collaboratively with Florida’s 12 public universities, 28 public colleges, K-12 school districts, and other partners, FLVC provides state-funded services to help students go to college, succeed in school, prepare for career success, and thrive in life after graduation.

Registration is open for Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit

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Florida Virtual Campus recently announced that Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit will be held from Sept. 7-8 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort. FLVC is a Complete Florida Plus Program, managed by the University of West Florida Innovation Institute. Participants will hear from Cable Green, director of open education, and other national and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives.
“We are excited about what our summit will mean for OER in Florida,” said Dr. John Opper, executive director for distant learning and student services at FLVC. “Attendees will discuss the components of a sustainable OER program, elements of a successful faculty driven OER program, the key concerns relating to the quality of open textbooks and how to address them and the return on investment for students and institutions.”
Open educational resources are freely accessible and openly licensed text, media and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning and research purposes. Some of Florida’s colleges and universities provide free textbooks and content to their students. One state funded resource for storing and sharing OER is the Orange Grove, an online collection of textbooks and educational materials available to sunshine state students for free. Using this resource, students can find textbooks for a range of courses, from precalculus to oceanography to English composition.
State and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives in higher education, including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators and other thought-leaders, are encouraged to attend the OER Summit. Registration is $100 per person. For more information or to register, visit www.flvc.org/oersummit.
About Florida Virtual Campus: The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC), A Complete Florida Plus program, is made up of several units which provide statewide innovative educational services for Florida’s K-adult students. Working collaboratively with Florida’s 12 public universities, 28 public colleges, K-12 school districts, and other partners, FLVC provides free services to help students go to college, succeed in school, prepare for career success, and in life after graduation.