These discipline focused, informal, discussion based, virtual sessions are intended for those interested in using Open Educational Resources in their curriculum. In these sessions, panelists will share their OER journeys and participate in a roundtable discussion. Participants are encouraged to share their OER experiences, concerns, successes and questions.
COMMUNICATION COURSES
Wednesday April 17 2:30pm Registration Link
This webinar is intended for those interested in using Open Educational Resources in Communication courses.
Panelists: Ashley Page, Fort Scott Community College Communications Instructor, Tonya Neises, Labette
Community College Communication Professor)
Education COURSES
Thursday, February 15 3:30-4:30pm
This webinar is intended for those interested in using Open Educational Resources in Education courses.
Panelists: Renee Cason, FHSU Teacher Education Instructor, Kim Sprecht, BCCC, with more to be added.
Language COURSES
Thursday, November 30, 2023 2:30-3:30pm
This session is intended for those interested in using Open Educational Resources in Language courses.
Panelists: Jonathan Perkins, Director of the KU Open Language Resource Center, Necia Chronister, Coordinator of the KSU German Language Program & Amy Rossomondo, Director of the KU Spanish Language Program
If you are interested in leading a future roundtable or have a subject area you would like to see available, please contact
Past OER Event Recordings
2020 Webinar Topics & Dates
September 10, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. - OER Jargon/Free-Digital-Open
This presentation identifies the use and difficulty of Open Education jargon for newcomers to the Open Community. Here we will clarify Open Education Resources (OER) terms as well as the difference between free, digital, and open. Live Q & A will be available at the end.
Click Here for Webinar Recording
Click Here for Presentation Slides
October 1, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. - Outlining Problems
Presenters will discuss the benefits beyond using OER to lessen the student financial burden and demonstrate how content may be manipulated and shared in pedagogically interesting ways that may violate copyright in traditional materials.
Click Here for Webinar Recording
Click Here for Presentation Slides
October 26, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. - Creative Commons
The "openness" of OER depends upon permissive licensing, most commonly Creative Common (CC) licenses. Join us for an introduction to CC licenses designed to assist educators in recognizing, understanding, complying with, and applying CC licenses in teaching and learning environments.
Click Here for Webinar Recording
Click Here for Presentation Slides
December 2, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. - Repositories & Platforms
Join us for a tour of selected repositories and platforms, a few search strategies to try when looking for OER, and a couple demonstrations of identifying this information.
Click Here for Webinar Recording
Click Here for Presentation Slides
What is OER?
Open educational resources (OER) “are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”1 That is, OER include built in permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the material.
1 https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer
2022 "Open Your Mind to OER" Summit Session Recordings
Captioning each video will take some additional time & videos with (CC) denoted above are completed
Kansas OER YouTube Channel
What is OER?
Open educational resources (OER) “are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”1 That is, OER include built in permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the material.
1 https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer
Wichita State University Presidential Search Committee
In November, the Kansas Board of Regents voted to select the next president of Wichita State University (WSU) through a committee-led search. On Dec. 16, the Regents approved a charge for the WSU Presidential Search Committee and appointed 22 members to the committee.
Due to Covid-19, the next meeting of the committee will be held in a virtual-only format at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16.
Anyone interested in obtaining meeting notice, agenda or a link to access the virtual meeting should email Renee Burlingham at
What is OER?
Open educational resources (OER) “are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”1 OER includes built in permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the material.
In an effort to exhibit the need for OER at institutions across the state of Kansas, the Kansas Board of Regents Student Advisory Committee conducted a survey in 2019 to demonstrate the burden of textbook costs on students at Regent Institutions. They found that 48 percent of 6,474 regent institutions’ students indicated they did not purchase or rent a required textbook in the spring semester. Seventeen percent said they did not purchase or rent three or more required textbooks.2 By not purchasing textbooks, students could be at a disadvantage, which could hinder their success in a course. With open/alternative educational resources, all students get equal and immediate access to educational materials.3
Link to Kansas LibreTexts Commons.
Why OER?
Hear Fort Hays State University Student Body President, Mark Faber give an address to the February 2022 Kansas OER Summit attendees about how OER impacts students. Click here to listen to his speech.
Newsletters
Upcoming Trainings/Events
General Education System-Wide Transfer Course OER Recommendations
College Algebra - February 26, 2024 at 3:30-4pm - Recording
Public Speaking - February 27, 2024 at 11-11:30am - Recording
General Psychology - February 27, 2024 at 2:30-3pm - Recording
English Composition - February 28, 2024 at 11-11:30am - Recording
Elementary Statistics - February 28, 2024 at 2-2:30pm - Recording
2024 SPRING OER Discipline Roundtables (visit the OER Roundtables webpage)
Using OER in Communications Courses Wednesday, April 17, 2024 2:30 pm (click the title to register)
This webinar is intended for those interested in using Open Educational Resources in Communication courses. In this session, you’ll engage with our panelists as they share their OER journeys and participate in a roundtable discussion. Participants are encouraged to share their OER experiences, concerns, successes, and questions.
- Lead: Dr. Alicia Mason Collins, Ph.D. (Professor Pittsburg State University Department of Communication)
- Panelists: Ashley Page (Fort Scott Community College, Communications Instructor) and Tonya Neises (Labette Community College, Communication Professor)
PREVIOUS Trainings/Events
OER Legislative Showcase - Thursday, February 22, 2024, 8:30-3:30pm Capitol Rotunda
Come learn all about OER and see our institutions in action in the capitol rotunda! Email
LibreTexts Training: Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 2:00-4:00pm
Delmar Larsen, founder and executive director of LibreTexts, will provide training on LibreTexts and the associated LibreVerse. LibreTexts is an Open Educational Resource (OER) platform. The Kansas Board of Regents System was the first state system to join the LibreNet, a consortium of members supporting LibreTexts. System members can create, adopt, and adapt OER on the platform and use the associated technology. If you don’t already have an account, it would be good to set one up at https://one.libretexts.org/
OER Beyond the Basics: Faculty Workshops
Finding, Evaluating & Adopting OER Thursday, Feb 23, 2023 2:00 pm
Finding the right OER for your courses can be daunting and this workshop will review the best places to begin your search for OER textbooks, assignments, lectures and other materials. We will also cover how to evaluate OER to make sure it's a good fit for your students and institution. Since planning time is precious, participants will be encouraged to practice searching and evaluating during the workshop to make the best use of their time.
Finding Evaluating & Adopting OER Workshop Recording
Adapting OER Tuesday, March 7, 2023 2:00 pm
You picked out an OER or two that you want to use in class. They need some changes or need to be combined. Now what? This workshop will lead you through the following steps to adapting your OERs. We will start by determining the licensing of your OERs and then look at where to edit and provide access to your adapted OER. Finally, we will look at correctly attributing the original OERs and how to create your own Creative Commons license for your new textbook. Throughout the workshop, guiding questions will help you make decisions efficiently and effectively.
Adapting OER Workshop Recording
Presentation Slides & Presentation Sources
Accessibility & OER Thursday, April 6, 2023 2:00 pm
Now that you have found an OER to use in your class and adapted it to your needs, how can you further adapt it to make it accessible for all. This workshop will cover the basics of the why and how of accessibility and universal design. Then, we will dive deeper into enabling user agency to enhance the user experience (UX). Some topics include accessibility tools, scalability, anchored content, and keyboard navigation.
Accessibility & OER Workshop Recording
Statewide OER Steering Committee
To encourage OER use across public institutions in the state of Kansas, the OER Steering Committee was developed and is made up of representatives across Kansas public institutions who are interested in OER on their campuses. The group convenes once a month to discuss statewide initiatives, including collaborative events, grant applications, system participation in regional and national OER organizations, OER platforms, and best practices. If your institution does not have a representative on the OER Steering Committee and you would like to add someone, email Mistie Knox,
OER & Estimating Student Savings Developed in January 2022, the OER Steering Committee recommendation outlines a formula for estimating savings resulting from OER use in KBOR System institutions. While it's difficult, if not impossible to accurately capture savings due to a variety of factors, the Steering Committee members believe that Kansas System institutions benefit from a common method to estimate savings, when appropriate and possible. This paper outlines our recommendations, sites other research and policies around estimating cost savings, and explains the rationale behind developing this formula. |
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2022 Open Education Initiatives in Kansas Higher Education Report (pdf) January 2021, the OER Steering Committee sent out the first survey to gather information on how Open Education Resources (OER) are currently being implemented across the public higher education institutions in Kansas. The survey was repeated in the spring of 2022. This is the second report summarizing the OER initiatives across our system. For more information about this survey, report or KBOR system initiatives click here |
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The Kansas Board of Regents Open Educational (OER) Steering Committee Action Plan (pdf) was developed as a result of the 2019 student-focused survey conducted by the Kansas Board of Regents Student Advisory Committee and collaborative discussion among members of the OER Steering Committee. The plan explains what OER are as well as the statewide priorities. | |
The Textbook Affordability Survey 2019 Results & Report (pdf) was conducted by the 2018-2019 Student Advisory Committee to provide concrete data behind the burden of textbook costs that students attending our universities are facing. |
2023-24 Members of the Open Educational Resources Steering Committee
Universities | Name | Title | ||
Emporia State University | Melissa Emo | Digital Scholarship & OER Librarian | ||
Fort Hays State University | Claire Nickerson | Learning Technologies & OER Librarian | 23-24 Co-chair | |
Kansas State University | Brian Lindshield | Professor | ||
Pittsburg State University | Jennifer Pursely | Instructional Designer | ||
University of Kansas | Heather Mac Bean | Open Education Librarian | ||
University of Kansas Medical Center | Kristin Sederstrom | Electronic Resources Librarian | ||
Wichita State University | Doug English | Associate Professor & Chair, Dept. of Chemistry | ||
Washburn University | Amanda Luke | Instructional Librarian | a | |
Community Colleges | Name | Title | ||
Allen Community College | Virginia Shaffer | Library Director | ||
Barton Community College | Lee Miller | Director of Innovation & Compliance for the Center for Academic Innovation & Excellence | ||
Butler Community College | Mindy Trenary | Assistant Professor of English | ||
Cloud County Community College | Brandon Galm | Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs | ||
Cowley Community College | David Hays | Faculty, Computer Science & Math | ||
Dodge City Community College | Mike Webster | Director of Instructional/Informational Technology | ||
Dodge City Community College | Nick Clohecy | Instructor of English | ||
Fort Scott Community College | Susie Arvidson | Director of Library Services | ||
Garden City Community College | Veronica Goosey | Assistant Professor of English | 23-24 Co-chair | |
Highland Community College | Hannah Owen | Instructional Support & Design | ||
Hutchinson Community College | Emily Hemmerling | Coordinator of Library Services | ||
Independence Community College | Nathan Chaplin | Biology Professor | ||
Johnson County Community College | Barry Bailey | Digital Projects Librarian and Chair of OER Taskforce | ||
Kansas City Kansas Community College | Susan Stuart | Director of Online Education | ||
Labette Community College | Tim Miller | Professor of History | ||
Pratt Community College | Frank Stahl | Director, Learning Resource Center | ||
Seward County Community College | Deedee Flax | Director of Distance Learning | ||
Technical Colleges | Name | Title | ||
Flint Hills Technical College | Leann Garcia | Division Chair of General Education | ||
Manhattan Area Technical College | Darren Ortega | Teaching & Learning Resource Coordinator | ||
WSU Campus of Applied Sciences & Technology | Rob Gibson | Dean, ITAS & Director, Instructional Design |
System Memberships & Partnerships
Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC)
The Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) has promoted and facilitated the implementation of Open Educational Resources (OER) at a regional level since 2018 when twelve OER state action teams were created. From these initiatives, the Kansas OER Steering Committee began, and they continue to support our work through grant funding, research, regional raining and sponsorship of our Kansas OER Summit.
Open Education Network (OEN)
In 2020, the Kansas Board of Regents joined the Open Education Network (OEN) as a consortial member.
A diverse community of higher education institutions, the Open Education Network promotes access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks.
Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3)
The Kansas Board of Regents is part of the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) Collaborative. Open to public higher education systems and statewide/provincewide organizations, DOERS3 and its members support large-scale OER initiatives and are committed to advancing innovation in OER. Member organizations aim to achieve equity and student success at scale by realizing the promise of high-quality, accessible, and sustainable OER implementations.
References
1 Kansas Board of Regents Student Advisory Committee Textbook Affordability Survey: 2019 Results & Report
2 UNESCO
3 https://opencontent.org/definition/
OER logo credit: Barton Community College
Consider a Community or Technical College
If you need an alternative option beyond direct admission into a Kansas public university, consider starting your post-secondary education at a Kansas community or technical college. These institutions have open admission, and success at one of these 26 institutions can lead to future admittance into a Kansas public university.
Those who earn at least 24 credits and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher at a community college or technical college may reapply to a Kansas public university for further consideration as a transfer student at Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, The University of Kansas (2.5 GPA required), or Wichita State University
Enroll in Systemwide Transfer Courses
If you choose to begin your post-secondary education at a community college or technical college, consider taking courses approved for Systemwide Transfer. You may view these courses within the Transfer Kansas portal.
A student who successfully completes any of these courses at a Kansas public university, community college, or technical college will be able to transfer the course to any Kansas public postsecondary institution offering an equivalent course.
Explore Your Options
Use the map and list of institutions to choose a college that best meets your needs and goals!
Allen County Community College | Iola, KS 66749 | 620-901-6268 |
Barton County Community College | Great Bend, KS 67530 | 620-792-9286 |
Butler Community College | El Dorado, KS 67042 | 316-733-3255 |
Cloud County Community College | Concordia, KS 66901 | 785-243-1435, ext. 212 |
Coffeyville Community College | Coffeyville, KS 67337 | 620-252-7026, ext. 7100 |
Colby Community College | Colby, KS 67701 | 785-460-4690 |
Cowley Community College | Arkansas City, KS 67005 | 620-441-6335 |
Dodge City Community College |
Dodge City, KS 67801 | 620-225-1321 |
Flint Hills Technical College | Emporia, KS 66801 | 620-343-4600 |
Fort Scott Community College | Fort Scott, KS 66701 | 620-223-2700 |
Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS 67846 | 620-276-7611 |
Highland Community College | Highland, KS 66035 | 785-442-6000 |
Hutchinson Community College | Hutchinson, KS 67501 | 620-665-3535 |
Independence Community College | Independence, KS 67301 | 620-331-4100 |
Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS 66210 | 913-469-3803 |
Kansas City Kansas Community College | Kansas City, KS 66112 | 913-288-7600 |
Labette Community College | Parsons, KS 67357 | 785-587-2800 |
Manhattan Area Technical College | Manhattan, KS 66503 | 620-276-7611 |
Neosho County Community College | Chanute, KS 66720 | 620-432-0376 |
North Central Kansas Technical College | Beloit, KS 67420 | 785-738-2276 |
Northwest Kansas Technical College | Goodland, KS 67735 | 800-316-4127, ext. 515 |
Pratt Community College | Pratt, KS 67124 | 620-450-2217 |
Salina Area Technical College | Salina, KS 67401 | 785-309-3100 |
Seward County Community College | Liberal, KS 67905 | 620-417-1100 |
Washburn University Institute of Technology | Topeka, KS 66621 | 785-670-2200 |
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology | Wichita, KS 67226 | 316-677-9400 |