Columbia State launches open educational resources program
Columbia State is working to change education in Maury County by participating in the Tennessee Board of Regents Digital Engagement Initiative this year.
The Open Educational Resources program has a goal of improving educational outcomes for traditionally underserved students through access to inclusive and low or no cost educational materials.
Students currently enrolled in Columbia State’s English Composition I and English Composition II courses are now participating in the program through a grant provided by the TBR. The pilot courses were implemented this fall serving 480 students.
“We hope by providing texts early and for free in a gateway course that we will see an increase in student success,” said Christina Loucks, a Columbia State English instructor and grant project director in a press release.
The effort also offers an opportunity for additional development in a TBR-sponsored webinar series on OER development.
“Collaborating with my colleagues to create the English 1020 OER course was incredibly energizing for me,” said Judy Westley, Columbia State associate professor of English in a press release.
“The collaboration process prompted me to look at my pedagogy and my students with new eyes,” Westley said. “The course covers an incredible breadth and diversity of literary texts, which provides multiple opportunities to engage students and to show them how different themes emerge in different ways throughout literary history.”
Columbia State professors will also participate in a statewide professional learning community.
At completion of the pilot courses, teams will review and update the materials and courses using feedback from students and instructors. The OER materials will eventually be presented to the English department for wider adoption across the college.
“We have 18 pilot classes this fall across three campuses and embedded dual enrollment classes across the Columbia State service area,” Loucks said. “We are excited to hear about how the pilots ran this fall and hope the English department will adopt the textbooks for the whole department to use.”
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Columbia State launches open educational resources program
